The Woods Look Lovely
by thesupersonicwoman
Summary: Persephone (Perse) Perez has these unexplained powers that she decides to use for good as she starts her freshman year at Midtown High. Follow the story of Nyx as she deals with high school by day and crime fighting by night, while also trying to figure out her mysterious past. There's also something weird about her friend Peter Parker… (Peter ParkerxOC fic! Slow burn!)
1. The Shadow Lady

**AN: So this is another Spider-Man fic, it is separate from my main Mercury. Here, we follow the story of Persephone/Perse Perez (nickname pronounced like Percy). This will be totally MCU centric (will include the TV shows in passing as well but they won't be prominent and the TV show timelines might not add up with the movie storyline), and starts up about a year before the events of Civil War. The title "The Woods Look Lovely" is actually from Robert Frost's Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening, the original line being "The woods are lovely dark and deep." I love poems and it has been a while since I've actually shown them some love, I don't know why. I hope you guys enjoy this story!**

The sunset painted the sky with vibrant hues of pink and orange, the clouds acting as a canvas. The Sun itself struggled to stay above the water, its final rays striking against the waves before being blanketed by the creamy night. The waves crashed against the rocky shoreline, seemingly unaware of the peaceful background.

Persephone Perez managed to capture all of this in her sketchbook using watercolor. It was her first time trying out the artistic style, so it wasn't as refined as it could be, but then again Persephone wasn't known for being refined. She sat on a bench, soaking in the last bits of daytime as she hurriedly tried to finish her painting. The lamppost acted as her only source of good lighting once the sun finally went down. Once she finished, she put away her brushes and paints into her bag with little care, but gingerly held onto her sketchbook. It was worse for wear, so Persephone had to learn to be more gentle with it. She was always in a hurry these days.

It was the end of the 8th grade as of today. Perse had told her parents, Al and Jimena Perez, that she was attending a sleepover tonight. This was a lie. Perse would always fake sleepovers or after school clubs as a chance to be able explore the city at night. A fourteen year old wandering New York City didn't seem safe, but Perse is no ordinary fourteen year old girl.

She slung her bag over her shoulder as she got up from the bench and started walking more towards the bustling civilization of Lower Manhattan. She was certainly far from Queens, but she was also far from her new school that she would be attending this fall: Midtown High. Her parents had submitted her into the lottery and she won. She was far from happy at the prospect. She wanted to stay in public school. She wanted to stay with her friends. But her parents wanted better for her. So Perse decided that she would try to spend as much distance as she could from Queens.

Al and Jimena had adopted Perse after being her foster parents for two years. While she didn't feel entirely comfortable calling them Mom and Dad yet, she did consider them to be her parents. She even asked to take on their last name. They chose her and she in turn chose them. She didn't like to dwell too much on her life before the Perez's. Which is why she didn't put up much of a fight when they secretly submitted her for the lottery. And it might be cold, but Perse decided to use their guilt of them ripping her away from her friends by saying that there was a "farewell sleepover party" in Perse's honor so that she could run off and do her own thing.

Finding a quiet and secluded alleyway, Perse looked both ways to make sure there was no one passing by. Once she knew the coast was clear, she closed her eyes and focused. Within moments, her whole body was as dark as the night sky and her typically grey eyes turned into a bright blue. Perse floated up to the top of the building and landed gently on the roof. She placed her sketchbook and bag down as the darkness started to retract, almost like a fog, until it disappeared and her frizzy brown hair and tan skin returned, along with the blue dimming back to her grey eyes. She opened the bag and took out her all black outfit to change into. It wasn't anything special, just black leggings and a black long sleeve. She just never wore her usual bright clothing because it would look strange if she did so while fighting crime. But one thing Perse didn't change was her black Chuck Taylors. She couldn't dare part with those.

Now in her "disguise", Perse changed back into her mysterious form. If one were to pay attention closely, they would realize that she didn't turn into a black void, but literally the night sky. A very dark shade of blue.

Perse had always been this way, for as long as she could remember. Which, to be fair, there wasn't a lot of remembering for Perse. Everything before the age of 10 was blank for her. She could vaguely remember small snippets of her childhood, but none of it was coherent to her, she didn't understand what little she did remember. Perse just always knew about her powers, though. Even with the memory loss, she understood her powers and how to control them…somewhat. It was like muscle memory, but she was still training herself.

Perse jumped off of the roof and dove straight down before shooting back up into the sky, whooping as she did so. That always gave her a thrill. She once even jumped from a forty floor tall building. She hadn't started her crime watches until recently, though. Perse was not sure how or why she had these powers, but she wanted to put them to use. And for good use at that.

She started her "shift" of exploring Manhattan, but she mostly stayed on top of various buildings and watched, waiting for something to happen. Flying too much would tire herself out quicker. Oftentimes, not a lot happened. No aliens coming out of the sky, no green rage monster trashing Harlem, no mysterious hammer; all things she learned in class that had happened in recent years but she had no memory of. She wished she had been a part of those events sometimes, standing side by side with the Avengers.

But no, Perse mostly stuck with giving tourists directions, stopping muggings, and occasionally creepy men in creepy alleyways. There was one time she stopped a bank robbery. It wasn't pretty and Perse had been sloppy, but her technique had improved much. Especially after taking some fight classes when she told her parents that she was attending Chess Club. Tonight was one of those quiet nights, but Perse didn't mind it. She quite liked doing the "mundane" aspects of crime fighting. It was no Avengers-level life saving, but she would help at least one person and that was enough for her. That one person made an impact.

Perse returned home early in the morning, eyes bloodshot and tired out of her mind. Jimena was already gone for work, but Al was enjoying a nice day sleeping in. Jimena Perez is a police officer, and has been serving the city of New York for about a decade. Al is a data analyst, working the typical boring 9-5 job.

When Perse was first brought into the Perez household, she had been very shy and sometimes outright mean to them, but she quickly came out of her shell when Jimena came home one day in her uniform. It awed Perse, and Al quickly tried to gain the little girl's favor by bribing her with sweets or making up outlandish stories how he's actually a super secret spy.

Perse smiled fondly at the memory as she passed by her parent's room. While so much has changed, Perse herself hasn't. She's still very much a standoffish child but Al and Jimena created this new, warm side of her that only they are truly privy to.

She plopped down her bed in exhaustion, staring up at the ceiling that was littered with the glow in the dark stars. Perse's room was mostly bare. She had her bed, her closet, and her nightstand. Al always tried encouraging her to hang posters up on the wall or to get decorations, but Perse never got around to it. Maybe it was because she was so accustomed to not being able to personalize a room that she stayed in. But she recently made the first step with the glow in the dark stars. They were comforting at nighttime.

Despite how tired Perse was, she couldn't fall asleep. She was already thinking about how she would spend her summer taking on the rats of New York. She wasn't going to be restricted by her school schedule and that excited her, to have all of that free time. This was going to be the best summer yet.

A month had passed since her last day of school and the city was quiet for the most part. But this afternoon was far from quiet.

Perse had not been far away when she heard the explosion. She quickly changed into her all black clothing and became engulfed by the darkness again in a restroom inside McDonalds. She certainly got a lot of weird and terrified looks when she exited the bathroom but she paid them no mind as she had raced towards the sound when she heard yet another explosion. The whole side of Jerry's Pawn Shop was gone, rubble everywhere and the ceiling integrity not looking so good. She stepped inside the shop, tentatively.

There were still some customers inside, too afraid to try to escape. She motioned for them to be silent, which wasn't a problem when they saw her come in. Perse had the special ability of naturally instilling fear into the hearts of her enemies. Like in the wild when prey can start to sense that a predator is nearby, so did the people inside Jerry's upon Perse's entrance. But she could also send out calming waves, and she did that for the people inside so as not to fear her as much.

Perse ventured forwards some more, going deeper into the store until she reached the back, where she could see the robber waving the weapon wildly in his hands as he demanded all the money in the safe as well as the more expensive valuables that was kept behind the counter.

"Come on, old man, I don't have all fucking day!" The robber spat vehemently, starting to get more worked up by second. It was then, that he suddenly froze. He could sense Perse.

Perse had tried to control the initial fear factor that people felt around her. The blood running cold sensation. But it was difficult to control in high stress situations such as this one.

He suddenly whipped around, the gun now pointing at her. And the weapon in the robber's hands glowed and hummed, looking ominous as ever. Perse momentarily thought to herself how it had all led up to this moment, from when she first heard the blast. God, she just wanted to get some new paints today.

"What the fuck are you?!" He exclaimed, finger shaking against the trigger.

Perse fought against her own fear, trying not to balk. She put on a brave face, smirking at the robber. He was too focused on her bright, glowing blue eyes that he didn't notice the flick of her wrist as the black mist starting emanating from her hands. "Oh, didn't you know? I'm your worst nightmare."

Before he knew it, the fog covered his eyes and Perse quickly dodged out of the way as he screamed out and set off a shot. It went clear over her head and she turned behind her to make sure no one was injured. People cried out in fear, but everyone was okay.

"Everyone, go! _Get out!_" She exclaimed, trying to wave them away. Thankfully, they did as they were told, the idiots.

Perse then pounced forwards before the man could fire another shot and ripped the strange gun away from his grasp. Perse was also stronger than any average person, much stronger. She opened her hand and a fog formed before solidifying into a dagger, which Perse brought up to the man's neck. He was still screaming and Perse gew annoyed by his wails.

"Shut up!" She growled, and lessened the fog's grip over his eyes. He whimpered out in response, but then remained quiet. "You're done. You hear me? You're done. You're gonna sit here on the floor and wait for the police to come get you. Or else." At that last part, Perse strengthened the fog to scare him straight. Her victims saw images that they thought were real, even if it was irrational.

"Okay." He said, crying now. "Just please stop."

"Sit." She demanded, making her dagger disappear. He did as he was told and Jerry finally emerged from the behind the counter from when he hid during the accidental firing.

"Thank you." He quivered. Even while being thankful, he seemed fearful of her as well as he quickly made his way out of the shop while calling the police.

Perse made the fog around his eyes go away, but they were still glazed over, haunted by what he had seen. Maybe she had gone a little too far. But at least he would be staying put. She went out the way she came, not wanting to be around when the police showed up. She always narrowly missed the cops. She always feared that one day they would arrive on scene and it would be Jimena. That would be awkward for Perse, even if Jimena wouldn't be able to tell it was her adopted daughter, it was still a situation she wanted to avoid. When she stepped out, she immediately heard the distinct sound of someone taking a picture on their phone.

"Are you serious!" A boy groaned, sounding like he was chastising someone.

Perse turned her head to see two teenage boys around her age. There was one holding his phone out stupidly while the other tried to drag him down the alleyway and away from the scene.

"You're the Shadow Lady." The one that had taken the photo breathed dreamily. Perse tilted her head to the side, unsure as to what was happening.

"Dude!" His other friend exclaimed, seeming fidgety, but not because of Perse's abilities. He was just naturally fidgety it seemed. Perse could start to hear sirens in the distance.

. "Can I have your autograph?" He asked, ignoring his stressed out friend.

Perse couldn't help but laugh at that before she flew away. She really needed to get out of there.

"Dude!" He repeated again. "Are you crazy?!"

"Shut up, Peter. I just got a cool picture. I wonder how much this could sell for? I don't care, I'm going to keep it for myself."

Peter knew that they should have left the pawn shop right when the first explosion happened, like most did. But his friend Ned wouldn't budge and then the second explosion happened and they were both too afraid to leave. And that's when _she_ came in and saved the day. The news outlets had different names for her: the Shadow, Nightmare, or menace as a certain reporter liked to call every masked vigilante in the city. Although, after seeing her up close, Peter wasn't so sure anymore that she was wearing a costume. It seemed like it was her actual face, but it was hard for him to focus on her strangely enough. Whenever he did look at her face, the blackness would be so consuming and her face would distort. Not to mention her eyes, the most captivating thing.

As much as Peter was mad at Ned for risking their lives, he couldn't lie to himself that it was pretty cool to see a superhero like the Shadow in person.

Perse's adrenaline was still pumping. Once she was a few blocks away, she landed on a roof and turned back to her normal self. She had ditched her clothes and wad of change at the McDonald's, which she figured the money would be gone by now. She went down the fire escape and at the last rung, she left herself hang before letting go and bending her knees as she landed on the ground.

She saw the police cars race by to the scene as she walked out onto the sidewalk and made her way back to the McDonald's to retrieve her clothes before heading back home. Despite the high of stopping a robber with a crazy weapon, she felt sour by the fact that now she isn't able to pick up fresh paint.

When she got the McDonald's, she was right. The money was long gone. And so was her jeans. Did they really have to do that? That's just rubbing salt on the wound for Perse.

Once Perse got home, she was greeted by Al.

"Hey kiddo!" His deep voice always made it seem like it reverberated across the room.

"Hey, Al." Perse sighed, plopping down on the couch next to him. He quickly put his arm around her shoulders, amusement glinting in his eyes.

"What happened to you getting paint?" He questioned.

"I lost the money." She lied breezily. "I think it fell out of my pocket on my way there." Al laughed at this, despite the glare that Perse gave him. "Not funny."

"You're just so scatterbrained. How about this: this weekend, I'll take you to the store myself and I'll get you the paint." He offered.

"Thank you." Perse whispered, a little bit ashamed that Al had to even offer in the first place. It still felt weird for adults to be caring about her and paying for things for her.

"It's no problem." He kissed her forehead, to which Perse wiped away his slobber. Al knew that she was just trying to act like she didn't like displays of affection but he knew she secretly loved it.

Al turned his focus back to the TV and Perse did as well. Perse's mind was elsewhere, though. While they sat and watched a rerun of _Fresh Prince of Bel Air_, she couldn't get her mind off of what she did today. She saved a pawn shop full of people. More than that, from a man who had a weird glowy weapon. She also smiled to herself when she thought about the two boys she encountered. She had met her first real fan today! He was awestruck at seeing Perse. She didn't like being called Shadow Lady–that sounded incredibly lame–but she'll take it.

Night fell and Jimena came back home from work. She looked exhausted, but still kept a smile on her face as she greeted her family. They ate Chinese takeout as they watched an action comedy film. This right here is home, Perse thought to herself. The apartment is just a place, she didn't care where they stayed at, but the act of spending time together was enough for her. A part of her felt guilty for hiding her powers and late night activities from them, but she didn't want to ruin what she had going with them. Not after they've come so far as now being legally seen as a family. Deep down, Persephone feared that if they found out, Al and Jimena would become afraid of her and try to take her back into the system.

After the movie ended, Jimena and Al called it a night. Perse retreated to her room as well, but not to sleep. She waited two hours to make sure both of them were asleep before she changed into her all black clothing and transformed into her dark form. Perse admired herself in the mirror before leaving out the window. She truly is a terrifying sight. Being practically all-black, and her frizzy hair just made her look all the more frightening and ethereal than the normal brown hair did, not to mention her eyes. Perse wasn't sure why her eyes turned blue. An electrifying blue at that. They would appear anytime she used her powers, not just when she transformed. She smirked and then flew out into Queens, starting her shift.

She landed on a residential building a few blocks away, not wanting to fly too much. She just watched the quiet street. Occasionally someone passed by in a hurry, a few cars here and there, but nothing. She moved on twenty minutes later, over to the next block. Everything seemed okay, until she sensed something was off.

A young woman passed by, and Perse could sense the fear radiating off of her in waves. She was clutching her purse tightly, and taking large quick strides as she walked down the street. Unbeknownst to the woman, Perse was right above and following her, walking along the edge of the buildings and gliding over to the next.

When they got to the intersection, the woman paused for a moment and looked around her. Perse did the same, and there was not another soul in sight.

But then a moment later as the woman hurriedly crossed the street, Perse sensed another person with fear. But this fear was different than the woman's. No, this was an exhilarating kind of fear, nerves that kept the adrenaline pumping. A man had been very loosely following the woman, but he was so far away and remained hidden so well that the woman couldn't see him. Nor could Perse sense him until he got a little too close for a moment.

Perse kept her focus on the woman, not wanting to pounce at the man just yet. She found her opening when the woman rounded a corner. She stayed crouched on the edge of the building, and waited for him to start to round the corner as well. When he neared, Perse extended her hand towards him, and a dart of blackness shot out. It landed on his shoulder. A small amount of blood started seeping through the wound, but that wasn't the scariest part about the weapons Perse was capable of making. It was the fact that the blackness started to spread through his veins before disappearing.

The man stopped in his tracks, and his heart rate increased at an alarming speed. Perse jumped off the roof and landed a bit harshly on the ground, but the impact didn't hurt her. She just wanted to get another scare at the man at witnessing a female creature survive a jump like that while also landing on her own two feet.

"You're gonna leave her alone." Perse said simply, hands on her hips.

The man, whose eyes were now bloodshot, wildly tried to take a swing at Perse. She easily dodged the first swing, but took a hit at his second. He put his all into it, and it did sting, but that was all.

"What are you?" He wailed, now falling to his knees as the vision he was trapped in worsened.

When someone was stuck in their own personal nightmare, they could also still see reality–it was just a warped version of it. Perse had never tried to go so far as to someone losing their touch on reality. This was mostly because she worried that if she tried to, it might result in death. So he could see Perse's figure perfectly, as well as the fact that he was on the floor of the sidewalk.

Perse ignored his question, repeating herself again. "You're going to leave her _alone_, you sniveling little loser. You're going to leave _every_ woman alone. You got it?"

"Yes! Yes, I promise! I am sorry. I'm so sorry. Please, God, make it stop." He was crying so hard that snot came down like a river. Perse was disgusted. She let go of her mental grip on the man, his mind now clear of her images, but the fear still present as ever.

"Go." She ordered. He shakily got up and started to run off in the opposite direction, too scared to look back as he tripped over his feet at times. She chuckled, eliciting a small snort, letting her guard down and being her usual self again. "Loser."

"Oh my God." Perse heard behind her. She whipped her head around, standing awkwardly as she noticed that the woman was there. "You saved my life. He-he was following me ever since I got off work 6 blocks ago." The woman rushed up to Perse and embraced her, which took the latter aback.

The woman instantly recoiled, to which Perse felt guilty for. In this form, touching her was an easy way of getting panicked.

"Sorry." Perse said, and sent out calming waves to the woman. She couldn't exactly calm a person down completely, but she could lessen the anxiety by a lot.

"How can you do that?" The woman asked, not scared anymore, even her own personal fear. She sounded curious and amazed.

"I-I don't know. I just can." Perse replied weakly. Being herself was always difficult. Being her alter ego…The Shadow or Nightmare as some called her, was a lot easier. Her alter ego had quips, threatened scumbags, and stood tall with her chin up. Persephone Perez never knew what to do with her limbs and often tripped up on her words.

"Well, keep doing it. Thank you, again." The woman smiled, actually staring Perse in the eye. Perse could notice the struggle that took, since Perse's face is literally hard to look at in this form. "Could you actually…could you walk me the rest of the way home?"

Perse nodded tentatively, a small smile coming out of her as well. "Yeah."

It was a strange sight to witness at 2 o'clock in the morning: a cosmic-looking figure and a thirty-something year old woman walking side by side, while the latter talked her ear off to the figure. Perse really appreciated this, never having communicated this much with someone she saved before besides earlier today with the two boys. And she wasn't really doing much of the talking anyways, but she didn't mind. Perse was always the listener type.

The rest of the night in Queens went smoothly, and in Brooklyn as well. As the dawn started to steadily approach, Perse made her way back home. She slipped inside her room just as she heard Jimena bustling around the apartment getting ready for an early shift at the station. Her hours were always odd, but she never let that get in the way of taking care of Perse. Perse always considered her a superhero, but not just because she's a cop. She also had the energy to be a provider for a teenage girl as well. That was no easy feat.

Perse changed into an old t-shirt of Al's that looked more like a dress on her and fell on the bed. She didn't even bother to cover herself in the blanket for warmth because she was too tired. Still, there was a smile on her face as she slipped into dreamland.

**AN: Okay end to the chapter! I hope whoever is reading this enjoyed! This is very different from my other story and I've been thinking about doing this for a while, but wanted to work on Mercury some more before I started this. **

**We saw a little snippet of Peter Parker (Tom Holland version, since I'm having this story be completely 100% MCU), and this is before he gets bitten by that ever-so-famous radioactive spider. This is roughly six months before he gets bitten, and I estimate that because I think Civil War happens six months after he is bitten. **

**I don't want to spoil too much, but a certain Avenger will notice Perse's exploits and an interaction may ensue…**

**Also, if anyone is curious as to how I envision Perse, I will provide a link of a drawing I saw on Tumblr of the artist's page and also a website that she sells the prints on because it is glorious (and also the fact that she did a Nyx rendering so it's fate):**

** people/elisebrave/works/31420143-nyx?asc=u&c=585805-mythology-collection&SSAID=389818&utm_source=shareasale&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_campaign=banner&sscid=41k3_8ic1b**

**In Mercury, I like to have incorrect quotes so I'm going to continue the trend here:**

**Perse: Today, I played Slenderman for the first time. It was terrible. I cried twice. **

**(I first saw this on Tumblr, which was a screenshot of a tweet. Love that.)**


	2. Shadow in the Light

Chapter 2:

**AN: Thank you for everyone that has read and decided to favorite and follow! It warms my heart. And thank you **_**so **_**much TotosBosman, I'm glad you liked the first chapter! Your kind words motivate me. I'll keep this short, here is Chapter 2 lol**

_Night falls. Or has fallen. Why is it that night falls, instead of rising, like the dawn? Yet if you look east, at sunset, you can see night rising, not falling; darkness lifting into the sky, up from the horizon, like a black sun behind cloud cover. Like smoke from an unseen fire, a line of fire just below the horizon, brushfire or a burning city. Maybe night falls because it's heavy, a thick curtain pulled up over the eyes. Wool blanket._

_-Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale_

Perse's first month of summer was going great. The heat, not so much, but still enjoyable nonetheless. Her norterity as the Shadow increased in the public and she started becoming recognizable when she flew by the city of New York.

She still had not seen anything as strange as that weird glowing Nerf gun. She kept her eyes peeled, paid attention to the news, but still nothing. At this point, she had nearly put it out of mind because it had been so long and she was just enjoying the chance to continue to fight off bad guys.

The woman's name that Perse had saved that eventful night is Monica. Every now and then, Perse walks her home. Monica would always be the one that talked, but Perse still didn't mind. Perse never had much friends, and even then, they were only ones she would interact with at school, but never really hung out with after school. Monica is her first _real_ friend. And first person to know this secretive part of her life (in all honesty, Monica didn't know much except that she was obviously a kid who has terrible social skills). Perse knew it was lame, but she didn't care.

Today was another hot, bright day and she was exploring Midtown Manhattan. She actually wasn't that far from Avengers Tower and my, was it a sight. It's the tallest building in all of New York, one of the tallest in the world in fact. Perse smirked, thinking of an idea that might just be terrible.

"Oh, challenge accepted." She muttered to herself as she neared the tower and craned her neck all the way up. Yeah, this was definitely going to happen.

She continued in her step after that moment's pause and made her way to the cafe that was around the corner. Captain America supposedly used to frequent this cafe after he had woken up from the ice. Of course not so much anymore ever since he stepped back into the spotlight…the spotlight being saving the world from an alien invasion, but still. Perse still wondered how no one noticed that a cultural American icon was in their midst.

Perse ordered a black coffee, which earned a concerned look from the barista, but she just smiled brightly at the man taking her order. She sat down outside at one of the tables and settled in. There actually wasn't a lot of people sitting outside. And it was quiet…as quiet as can be in the metropolis. The young girl carefully took out her sketchbook, along with her pencils, brushes, and paints. She started with small doodles, sometimes doing rough sketches of the people in the cafe or those waiting at the corner to be able to cross the street. Then, she moved on with using her paints to make blobs of colors. If one were to squint their eyes, they would be able to see that Perse had done a self portrait of herself with no defined lines, features, or structure. As the day started to quickly vanish, the early sunset colors glittered beautifully against the skyscrapers of Manhattan. Especially against the Avengers Tower. Perse quickly went to work at capturing the moment. She had ingrained to memory as she continued to work past the evangelical moment. Her sketchbook is full of drawings involving the sunset, each one at a different location of NYC. It was like a little project of hers, one that she dedicated to herself to work on like it was a real assignment.

The cafe was nearing closing, and Perse had gone through one more cup of coffee. She tipped the barista on her way out and started heading back out to the street. Now was time to work.

She flew up to a thirty floor tall corporate building and left her satchel full of priceless artwork (at least in her eyes) and regular clothes on the rooftop and soared off. Flying around made her hair more frizzy and to an enemy, would make her look a tad bit more menacing. She knew that she should probably care more about her looks like some other girls do. Straighten her hair, wear makeup, wear more skirts or heels, but that wasn't her style. She liked her frizzy hair, liked her bare skin, liked her high waisted jeans with a simple t-shirt or tank top, and of course her Chucks. Perse actually had four different pairs: black, ivory, red, and yellow.

The first three hours went by uneventfully. People milled about, if anyone felt uncomfortable while walking, Perse would follow them like she had Monica and make sure they were truly safe. The whole time, she would cast glances back at the Avengers Tower. She had to. She just couldn't resist.

Perse flew towards it, kicking it into a gear a bit faster than she had ever gone before. She reached the top of the tower, but lingered above the ground. A part of her was afraid to touch ground. Well, a _big_ part of her. She felt like Nemo in Finding Nemo. Except Nemo felt exhilarated, he felt rebellious. Persephone wanted to feel like Nemo, God damn it.

She touched down and laughed to herself, almost wildly. "This is fucking insane." She whispered to herself. She walked up to the edge, peering down below. "Okay, you got this. Yeah, you got this." She reassured herself. Just because Perse could control other people's fears doesn't mean she was immune to it.

She could see the balcony far below where Iron Man had famously landed there sometimes to enter his penthouse. Where along the side, the "A" brandished itself proudly and warningly. The A was a remnant of the Invasion, and a standing testament to their victory. It told bad guys, "Yeah, we saved the world from aliens so don't mess with us." Yeah, that's Perse felt it stood for.

The wind was a lot harsher this high up, but Perse managed to stand her ground. It was a long drop. Long, long drop. Perse was terrified, but it was the really good kind. The kind she got on the Thunderbolt at Coney Island right before the big drop. She initially hated Al for making her get on the ride, actually apprehensive of getting on it. Irrational of her, she knew, but she felt it nonetheless. But then the car started making its ascent, and Perse felt it. She felt the thrill.

Perse walked back and got into a sprint stance. Then, she was off to the races. She ran so fast it took her only a second to get the edge and push her foot against it as she was suddenly free falling. She looked like a diver, arms forward and hands touching, legs straightly behind her. The intense winds drowned out her yelling, which turned into cheering. She let her arms branch out, as if she were a bird. She passed the balcony and great big "A" and saw a flash of lights from inside the tower. If anyone was inside there, like Iron Man, and had happened to look inside, she would have looked like a large bird to him. The thought made her laugh.

As she passed about the halfway distance to the ground, Perse started to gain control, fanning her arms out more and keeping legs tightly against each other. She was still falling, but now it was starting to ease bit by bit. When she was less than 50 feet from the ground, Perse starting pushing herself up. At the speed she was going, she admittedly narrowly missed the ground. But who was paying attention to that?

The next day, Perse woke up with a slight pain in her abdomen every time she shifted. She lifted up her shirt and examined the nasty bruise that had formed from last night. One would think she had an exciting encounter with a supervillain, but no. A drone had hit her.

"Stupid." She muttered to herself, referring to the drone but also herself.

She fought against the pain as she got up from bed and started getting ready for the day. She took a cold shower, to try to help her aching muscles. She brushed her wavy locks and let them air dry as she put on a white tank top and high rise shorts.

Both of her parents had already left for work by the time she ventured into the kitchen to make herself cereal. She was grateful, because despite being able to hide the nasty bruise, she couldn't hide the bags under her eyes.

Today, Perse has the same plan as the day before, and the day before that: to wander someplace and then bide her time until she could slip out and start her nightly adventures. She hadn't been to the bookstore in a while, so she decided to spend most of her time there. Perse rarely ever took on her alter ego during the daytime. She felt a greater risk of exposure in broad daylight, so she only transformed if there was a crisis. Also, nighttime seemed to be her brand anyways.

The local bookstore in Queens was only a few blocks away from home, so she started her trek there. She could spend a whole day there, but she opted for only a few hours. When opened the door, a light chiming rang through along with a cool gust of air from the air conditioning. God, that felt nice.

The store wasn't big, but it was still spacious with tons of shelves containing new books and used ones as well. Perse liked to spend most of her time in the used books sections, searching for a new read. Used books carried a magic within them–they carried the energies of their old owners. Well kept, missing pages, dog-eared pages, broken spines, barely cracked open. Perse loved them all. _Invisible Man_ by Ralph Ellison caught her eye, as well as _The Beautiful and Damned _by F. Scott Fitzgerald and a book on Renaissance artwork.

Even after purchasing the books, Perse remained in a secluded corner of the bookstore, in a isle of shelves. She cracked open the art book, taking in the beautiful details of the works of Michelangelo and Raphael and van der Goes. Her art style was nowhere as near as detailed and powerful such as these works, but did want to give it a try one day. She admired the way that these painters had so clearly focused on introspection and the human body, but she also clearly saw the biblical presence. Perse wanted to paint New York City in that same ethereal light. If anyone asked, Perse wasn't the religious type–at least, not the organized kind. She believed in science almost like a religion. She didn't dismiss the idea of a God (or gods), because it _could_ be possible. She believed in the search for answers, in the beauty of the known universe and marveled at what could come of the unknown. There is so much unknown, and so many different theories. She loved that people of different creeds and religions came together united under a common goal: finding answers. That was powerful to her. And she felt in tune with the universe, like in a spiritual way, although she didn't align herself to beliefs such as Wicca. She just felt the universe, she felt the laws of thermodynamics, a founding principal that meant a lot to her. Maybe that's why she liked the Renaissance era; while it was a period of more scientific thought, they still remained influenced by their religion, and Perse could understand that.

"That's a good book." Perse heard someone say above her. Looming above the girl was Michelle Jones from school. They weren't necessarily friends, having only exchanged a few words in the past and forced to work on several projects together, but Michelle was probably the closest thing to a real school friend. It was Michelle's name that Perse mentioned to her parents that would throw the sleepovers. Although Michelle wasn't the sleepover party type, funnily enough.

Perse followed the taller girl's eyes that were planted on Invisible Man before looking back to her, waiting for a response. "You've read it before?" She immediately winced after asking that question. Stupid, of course she's read it before!

"Well, you're still awkward." Michelle smirked, making Perse blush. The former began browsing at the books on the shelves above Perse.

Perse went back to her boo, not sure how to carry on the conversation. Michelle was right, Perse _is_ awkward, much to her chagrin. But this is what Perse liked about Michelle: she didn't have to force a conversation with her. Michelle isn't socially awkward like her, she is just indifferent to social expectations.

Michelle picked up a thick book and flipped through the pages. "I'm going to Midtown next year."

"You are? I am too." Perse replied, looking back up to see the disinterested look on the girl's face. Michelle has frizzy hair like Perse, except she has more defined curls than the latter.

"See ya later." Michelle said, walking away. Was that a way of saying, "Glad we're going to the same school together"?

It was a strange encounter for sure, and a random one at that, but every encounter with Michelle is like that. Perse couldn't help but feel reassured that someone she knew would be at this new school with her. And her first year of high school at that. While Perse never had close friends, she did have friends…acquaintances. People that she opened herself up to just a little bit at school, shared a laugh with. She wouldn't have that at Midtown, and that terrified her. While Michelle wasn't the most open of people herself, she would at least be a known face in the sea of strangers.

Her parents would expect her to join clubs, like they thought she had this past year in the 8th grade. And she would lie and say she had. Maybe joining a club would help her find more true friends, but Perse honestly didn't care for that. She had more important matters.

Eventually, Perse left the shop. On her way back home, she stopped at Delmar's. He runs a convenience store that also has a sandwich set up. Delmar's has the best sandwich in Queens, and everyone knew this. Anyone who said otherwise are wrong. Perse personally loved the place because they made delicious Cuban sandwiches and Delmar made sure not to gyp the girl on the meat and pickles.

"Hey, kid!" Delmar greeted from behind the counter. "Sandwich Cubano?"

"Of course." Perse sweetly smiled, also picking out two drinks: a cherry Coke for Al and a sweet tea for herself.

"What have you been up to this summer? Partying?" Delmar asked.

She knew that he was joking about the partying part, so Perse laughed sarcastically.

"Yeah, _tons_ of partying." She lifted up her books for Delmar to see, to which he chuckled.

"You're a good kid." He sighed, handing Perse the completed sandwich as she paid for it and the drinks. "Have a nice night, Persephone."

"You too, Delmar!"

One block later and she made it to the apartment. Al had beat her home, sitting at the dinner table and pouring over spreadsheets. When Perse opened the door, Al quickly shoved the spreadsheets into his folder and instead looked at the newspaper.

"Hey, pumpkin!" He greeted, casually looking up from the newspaper.

Perse held up the bottle of soda in response much to Al's delight. "Oh, you are the best." He smiled.

"I know." She grinned. She sat down next to him and started showing away at her lunch.

"Let me have a bite." Al said, extending his hand out. Perse rolled her eyes, but relented. "Jesus, too much pickles." He made a sour face, but still kept chewing anyways.

"Next time I'll ask Delmar for more." Perse retorted, snatching her sandwich back.

"What books did you get this time?" Al asked rhetorically since he started to grab the books to see for himself.

He examined the art book before quickly saying, "Boring!" and the same with _The Beautiful and Damned_. At _Invisible Man_, he paused smiling. "'I yam what I am.'" He chuckled, although Perse wasn't sure what he meant by that. "This was my favorite book in high school. Back when I actually used to read. Living as a black kid in Harlem, this book meant a lot."

Perse smiled, but it was a sad one. She has no clue what her heritage is. Her roots. She didn't really think about her birth parents in the sense that she missed out on a childhood with them. She used to, but there was a point where she accepted that they abandoned in her a fire station (how cliche was that, she would think to herself) not because they wanted a better life for her. If they did, they would have made sure she went to a good family. No, they tossed her out. It was cruel, and she's learned that the world can be cruel. It's why she makes an active effort to not be cruel. To try to combat the cruelness in every way she can.

By the time it was 6:00 P.M., Jimena returned home from work and Al was in the kitchen making dinner. Her light brown hair was wrapped tightly in a low bun, neat and well kept even after a long shift. Jimena sighed obnoxiously as she let down her hair and shook it loose. She plopped down next to Perse on the couch, trying to teasingly annoy the younger girl.

Perse scrunched up her nose at the immediate closeness, but let Jimena invade her personal space. She tried to act like she minded, but she didn't really and Jimena knew that.

"Could you scratch my head?" Jimena begged, giving Perse puppy dog eyes.

"No." Perse said, trying to hide a smirk at her defiance.

"Mija. Scratch my head." Jimena said, facing away from her adoptive daughter so that she could scratch away. Perse sighed, but acquiesced. "Oh, that is _perfect_!"

Al watched from the kitchen, a smile on his lips before it quickly dropped and he went back to paying attention to the food, the oil popping.

"Hey, don't burn my yucca!" Jimena warned, pointing a finger at her husband.

"No, ma'am." He said over his shoulder, standing straighter as if at attention.

Perse laughed, enjoying this small moment with her family.

After dinner, Perse went to her room while her parents stayed out in the living room to watch an episode of Real Housewives of Whatever before heading to bed. Perse cracked open _Invisible Man_, more curious to start reading it since it means so much to Al.

_I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids–and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me._

_When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination–indeed, everything and anything except me._

Perse was hooked onto the book by the first paragraph. She felt like she was on the edge of her seat, enticed by Elliot's words. She loved when she found a book to make her feel like that. She didn't even realize until three hours later that her parents had already gone to their room and were sound asleep. She reluctantly set aside the book, and got ready for another night.

She turned all dark again, that mesmerizing and terrifying blue/black void. In daylight, she stuck out. It was when she stuck to the shadows and night sky that she became unrecognizable to people. With a smile, she flew out of her room and into that night sky.

**AN: Hope you guys liked this chapter! I wanted to show more of the different sides of Persephone like how she is as Shadow (this name is temporary, she will still become Nyx like I say in the description) which is bold and loud, how she is around her "friends" which we saw a little bit with the woman she walks home Monica and how she interacted with Michelle, and how she is with Al and Jimena which is her more relaxed and easy going and outgoing state. **

**Also to keep in mind: Perse's past will be very important. I've already dropped some hints, I don't know how obvious they are or aren't for a reader, but all will be revealed in due time. It will take a while, though. **

**Incorrect quote time:**

***Perse as Shadow*: I'm aiming for the "she's a badass and cute as hell but I wouldn't touch her without asking" look**


	3. Midtown High

**AN: Just wanted to start off by saying thank you for the continued support!**

**Saw Endgame two times already because **_**wow**_**! Words cannot describe. And don't worry, no spoilers here. **

**Also, I know I said that this story will be completely MCU, but I lied a little bit. Well, not lied, just forgot to warn that while I will keep everything MCU, I would change certain things about a certain Avenger. All I will say is that it's nothing against the actor that portrays them. I initially didn't like how this character was set up in the movies (still believe there was a lot of potential wasted) but I still love this MCU Avenger regardless and their arc ended in a really nice way in the movies. And there will be qualities of MCU character that I will incorporate to this story. I just ultimately love the comics version 100x better. **

**Anyways, enjoy this chapter :) **

_Where have I seen you before?_

_In a dream._

_A thousand years ago._

_\- Tim Vode, "Dreams of Clytemnestra"_

The summer came and went in a flurry, with only a day to go before Perse starts her freshman year. The dread didn't leave her, rather it settled in her bones. Jimena took her back to school shopping, getting all the notebooks, pens, pencils, calculators, papers, binders, and everything else in between that Perse could possibly need for school. Al took her to the mall and that was a quick in and out. Perse never made a fuss about clothes, always grabbing basic tees and jeans, and a few colorful items here and there. She just wished that the summer wouldn't end. Perse also didn't expect her summer to end with making an encounter with Hawkeye, a real life Avenger (not one of those weirdos that dressed up and milled about the Avenger's Tower).

Tonight, late into the night or early in the morning–the dawn was about to break soon–Perse landed on the rooftop of her apartment complex, unaware that she was not alone. She shifted back to her normal self, and took one last look at the city before turning around to grab her bag that she had ditched. It was when she turned around that she noticed there was a man sitting in a fold out lawn chair, mid-bite into his slice of pepperoni pizza. She froze, panic settling in. Did he see? Of course he did!

He also looked extremely familiar, but Perse was too busy freaking out to focus on that. If she did give herself a moment, however, she would realize that the man is none other than Hawkeye, current member of the Avengers. Sitting a lawn chair. On Perse's roof.

"Uh." Perse blurted out, not sure what else to say. In her panic, she shifted back to Shadow, and it elicited a shout from the man as he dropped his pizza. Perse inadvertently sent out a wave of fear to him. She quickly lessened it, but kept a hold on him, just in case. She never thought she would ever get caught. How reckless of her, she should have known better. Those thoughts ran through her head, mentally kicking herself for this slip up. In all honesty, it was pure luck that she hadn't been caught sooner.

The man stared down Perse cautiously, his posture now in a more protective stance, ready to fight at a moment's notice. It was then that Perse got a real good look at him, and her bright blue eyes widened. "Hawkeye?!"

"The one and only. Who are you?" He responded, still not letting his guard down.

"I'm…Shadow?" She faltered. Saying the name out loud sounded incredibly lame. She wondered whether the Devil of Hell's Kitchen ever felt the same.

"The one who's been striking fear into the hearts of men?" Hawkeye questioned almost disbelievingly. "But you're just a kid." Perse got annoyed at this, and let go of some of her control and let him feel more anxious.

"I'm 14." She muttered, now letting complete control of her powers on him and removing any fears she gave him although she remained in her form. Even though it didn't matter since he saw her true self just moments ago. She always wanted to meet an Avenger, but not quite like this. Oh God, what if he dragged her inside and told her parents?

"Shadow's a pretty lame name, by the way." Hawkeye stated, his body now relaxing. He bent down to where there was a box of pizza and picking up a new slice.

"I didn't pick it." She argued, furrowing her brows in annoyance. I knew the name was lame, she thought to herself. "What are you doing here?" That was the million dollar question, after all.

"I could ask you the same thing." He asked warily, taking a bite into his pizza. He wasn't even in his uniform, just a dirty white shirt and purple pajama pants.

"Wait." She said, the puzzle pieces coming together (admittedly slowly). "You _live_ here? I thought all of the Avengers live up in the Tower?"

"Well, sort of. It's more of a crash pad, to be honest."

"Have you always lived here?"

"You ask too many questions."

Perse sighed, turning back to her regular self. He had already seen her before, so there was no point in keeping up pretenses. She still worried about her identity being revealed to her parents, though, and she stupidly threatened an _Avenger._ "If you tell my parents about me, you'll regret it." He actually laughed in response, now sitting back down in his lawn chair.

"You got it." Well. That was easy. "On one condition: you do a better job of being more discreet next time." Perse smiled at that. "Also, no. I haven't always lived here. I just moved in. It's a nice complex. Nice people."

"They are, Mr...Hawkeye."

"Clint is just fine."

"Clint." She nodded. "I'm…I'm Persephone. But everyone calls me Perse."

At telling Clint her real name, a clouded look came over his eyes. It seemed as if he was revisiting an old memory, and not a good one at that because Perse sensed his anxieties spike for a moment. Just as quickly as the look came, it was gone. He regarded Perse in a new light now, but this went unnoticed by the younger girl.

"Perse. Good night, Perse." Clint smiled, although it didn't reach his eyes. She bid him goodnight as well before grabbing her bag and quickly leaving through the door.

She made it back home without getting noticed by her parents (that would have been the worst night of her life), and laid in bed. She couldn't sleep though, despite the fact that she had to get ready for school in less than two hours. At this point, it might be best to stay awake anyways and take power naps when she could later in the day.

Meanwhile, up in the rooftop, Clint Barton couldn't shake the feeling that it was her. The same Persephone. A pulled out his phone and placed a call to his friend. Mouth full of pizza, he spoke into the phone, "I think I just found her. Persephone."

Perse ended up getting in thirty minutes before she had to get up for school. She showered and changed into one of the new outfits she got earlier in the week. She put on a white 2Pac shirt and black high waisted jeans. She stood in front of her collection of Converse and tried to decide which one to wear today. Red.

Hair still slightly wet, she bounded out of the house with a piece of toast in her mouth and two tangerines in her hand. She waved goodbye to Al and Jimena, the latter racing after her to hand her leftovers from last night's dinner as today's lunch.

"Thanks." Perse said, throwing it inside her already overflowing backpack.

"Have fun today, kiddo." Jimena pressed a quick kiss on Perse's feigned a disgusted look on her face before continuing to speed walk out of the building and out into the street.

Walking the down the street with a little extra bounce in her step, she munched on her toast before moving on to her tangerines. She really hoped that she wouldn't be late on her first day.

The school was a 20 minute walk, but Perse managed to get there in 10. Just as she approached the steps of Midtown High, everyone was already inside. She walked up the front entrances, eating the last slice of her tangerine as she quickly searched for her homeroom posted in the papers at the doors. Just then the first bell rang. Room 205.

She raced inside, searching frantically for the 200's hallways. It was on the other side of the school. Of course it was. She came across a few stragglers like herself, looking more dumbfounded than she, trying to find their own classes. At least she wasn't the only one.

Just when the final bell rang, Perse made it through the door of her homeroom class. The teacher was standing in front of the classroom full of freshmen kids, who all in turned looked to see who had hastily opened the door. Slightly breathless, her face reddened at the spotlight she was given, even though it was only for a moment. She sat down in one of the open seats available near the front of the class. She hated being in the back, that's where the chatty kids usually sat.

"Now that everyone is here," The teacher started, casting a sideway glance to Perse, "Let's go over all the papers that will be in these folders." They were all blue, with names printed in sticker on the top. She started listing off names as everyone got up and grabbed their folders. Perse didn't recognize anyone. The only person that she knew was Michelle, and she was in a different homeroom. She hoped that they would at least have one class together.

The teacher droned on as all of the students examined all of the ridiculous papers, newsletters and student contracts and what everyone cared about the most: the class schedules. The room was quietly buzzing with whispers as friends looked to see if they shared any classes. Perse stared at the papers, but her mind was elsewhere. Her mind was stuck on the other night: meeting Hawkeye.

Now that it was day, the encounter seemed like a strange dream; there was no way that Hawkeye moved into her apartment building and knew of her secret identity. That was definitely the stuff of dreams. Was Hawkeye her friend now? Would they stop crime together?

"Everyone sign the honor code and hand them up when you're done." The teacher said, breaking Perse out of her train of thought.

She signed the paper, that basically promised she wouldn't plagiarize and treat every student and faculty member with respect. She never understood the point in these. They weren't a legitimate binding document, and teenagers always wind up breaking one rule or the other. Maybe it was to be ironic. Promises always end up broken.

The thought briefly took her back to an old foster home. That home must have been the most welcoming one out of all of them before she met Al and Jimena. It was the home that lasted the longest: six months.

"Here you go." Perse heard a voice behind her say. She slightly accepted the papers without turning to look and meet the face to the voice.

She quickly signed her name as well and handed them to the teacher. The teacher gave Perse another look, probably aware that she has been spaced out in one form or another during this whole period. The bell rung, and the class erupted into noise as everyone spoke about their new classes and what lunch period everyone had. Perse quickly gathered her things as well, keeping her head down and followed the crowd out the door. She looked at her class schedule, paying real attention to it this time. English for first period.

The class was in a different hallway, but Perse was able to find it rather quickly. The hallways all started with a different number, and were organized (for the most part) by grade as well. So most of her classes would be on this side of the school. It wasn't a very large school, but it had two floors and a basement level to make up for the size. Most schools had ramps for accessibility, some had elevators with special keys to make sure students wouldn't try to use them that didn't need to, but this fancy school had both elevators for accessibility only and also elevators for public use. Perse elected for the stairs since there were small crowds gathering waiting for the elevators.

Walking up the steps and into the hallway where her English class is, Perse fully recognized just how nice this school is. And all because she won the lottery on entrance. Her mother had to remind her that she didn't just win the lottery by _chance_, like she was any random kid. She had to pass an exam and essay as well. She earned this opportunity just like everyone else. She remembered then that she had to stop by the administrations office by the end of the day to speak with the department head of finances and turn in her parent's financial documents to have on file. Perse still couldn't help but feel shame that she was here because she won a lottery, even though she knew that Jimena was right.

Shaking the thoughts away, Perse entered her English class. It was an Honors course, one that didn't intimidate Perse in the least. Practically all of her classes were Honors save for her Biology, Spanish, and Art. She always excelled greatly in school, and while this school is more advanced than the public ones in the city, it felt more her pace.

Once the class started, the teacher, Ms. Holloway quickly went over the English paper in everyone's folder that everyone had to bring signed with their parent or guardian's signature by tomorrow. Then, the lesson started. Usually, the first day of classes were a day of relaxation almost, with boring PowerPoints about how the class would run and a little information on the teacher. Perse guessed Midtown didn't work like that. By the end of the class, she was already assigned three short response essays and two chapters of _The Catcher in the Rye_, which Perse was thankful that the first book of the year would at least be an easy one.

During her lunch period, Perse ate out in the quad area, an open part of the school where she could let the sun beat down on her. She also got a head start on her schoolwork, completing some of her math problems when she saw someone sit at her round table at the corner of her eye.

"You're so lame." Michelle.

"I'm not lame." She said back, grabbing another forkful of her enchilada in her left hand and stuffing it in her mouth and completing a problem with her right hand.

"Lame." Michelle drawled out the "m" and Perse continued to pointedly ignore her, but she was secretly enjoying her company.

They left the conversation at that and remained quiet for the rest of the lunch period as Perse continued to work. She managed to finish all of her Math homework before the bell that signified the end of lunch period. She put her work away in her bag and noticed that Michelle had been reading _The Catcher in the Rye_ the whole time. Perse had already read the book once before and enjoyed it greatly.

"What's your next class?" Perse asked, tying her wavy hair up into a bun as the heat finally starting getting to her.

"Art with Ansari." Michelle replied without looking up from her reading.

"Me too." Perse smiled.

The bell rung and the pair walked together, although it didn't completely feel like they were walking together. It was more like they were heading in the same direction, not an intentional walk of companionship. When they got into class, Michelle sat in the back and Perse followed after her. She still wanted company, after all. And Michelle didn't seem to mind. But then again, it was always hard to tell.

Mr. Ansari didn't really have a set plan for today, and just told the students to draw or sketch or paint whatever they felt like. It wasn't that he seemed uncaring about teaching; no, he gave Perse that hippie vibe. At least this class could be seen as a reprieve from all her other ones.

Perse started sketching out a man, just the faint outlines. Then, she included a bow and arrow in his hands. The arrow notched and drawn back, ready to fire at a moment's notice. She gave detail to the man's face: short hair, furrowed eyebrows in concentration, a smirk on his lips. He knew he had the shot. She kept the drawing colorless save for the bow and arrow, which she colored in different shades of purple. It took her almost all of the class period to get the details, to focus on the shading and to get the face right. It didn't look exactly like Hawkeye since Perse was going based off of memory, but it was obvious that it was him. Maybe she would give this drawing to him. Would he find that creepy?

The bell rang, and Mr. Ansari asked that everyone turn in what they worked on. She did so and waited for Michelle so that they could walk out together.

"I have Spanish next." Michelle said boredly before Perse could ask.

"Me too!" Perse said excitedly. Michelle cast her a sideways glance at the excitement Perse exhibited, and the latter quickly looked straight ahead, blushing. She didn't miss the small smile that graced Michelle's face, but Perse knew better than to point that out. Maybe she did have a sort-of friend after all.

They sat in the back of classroom of Mrs. Diaz's class like they did in Art. The class went on in a boring fashion, only going through the alphabet, numbers one through ten, and basic greetings before doing individual and group work the remainder of class.

At the final bell, everyone filed out quickly. Michelle and Perse parted ways, the latter heading to the administrations office to turn in the papers.

There was also some other students there as well, and one boy she had noticed to be in her English and Biology standing next to his father and mother. The father and son both looked snobby, the mother didn't seem so bad on the other hand. She tried to pay them no mind and hoped that they all would do the same. She didn't want word spreading that she was the lottery winner.

"What can I do for you?" A man working the front desk asked.

"I need to turn in these forms for the…_scholarship_." She whispered the last part, not wanting to say that it was for the Midtown Equal Opportunities Admission Program.

"Scholarship?" The man questioned. "We don't have scholarships."

"The…The _Equal Opportunities Admission Program._" She whispered even quieter.

"You gotta speak up, kid." The man sighed.

Perse refrained from rolling her eyes and instead showed the man the signed papers and her parents financial forms. "I'm here to turn these in."

"Oh, for the Midtown Equal Opportunities Admission Program. Why didn't you just say that?" Perse cringed, hoping no one was paying attention. The man walked into back into the office of whoever was in charge.

"Come on, Eugene." Perse heard a woman say. She discreetly turned her head to see the boy she recognized from earlier start to leave the office, a scowl on his face.

"Please stop calling me that."

"It's your name! You seriously want me to call you…"

The man behind the counter returned with a smile on his face. "Dropped them off for ya. You're all good to go."

"Thanks." Perse said, feigning a smile. When she turned around, she saw two students whispering to each other and Perse instantly worried that they were whispering about her.

She quickly got out of there, feeling suffocated. Out in the hallway, she noticed a big bulletin board with a bunch of club sign-ups and tutoring services from students. She noticed that there was an Academic Decathlon for the school (of course there would be), but also Key club, Shakespeare Appreciation club (she wouldn't be able to stand the pretentiousness reeking out of everyone), Robotics, Pi club, the list of clubs was endless. At her middle school, there weren't a lot of clubs, and the dorkier ones didn't really get a lot of love. But here, in a school chock full of nerds, there were plenty of kids happy to sign up for all of these clubs. Perse noticed that Michelle had signed up for Academic Decathlon, a surprise. She never joined anything back at Ditko Junior High.

The hallway had emptied out by now, but two talkative boys turned a corner and were practically racing to the bulletin board.

"Sorry, excuse me." One of the boys said, getting in front of Perse. Usually, a person would be offended by that, but Perse was more amused. Perse looked at the boy and furrowed her brows together. He looked familiar. He turned around, and Perse got a real good look at him. "Peter come on!"

"Sorry." The other boy said more meekly, genuinely feeling bad for his friend butting in front of her.

Peter's friend is Perse's fan. From the summer. The same guy who took a picture of her. And his friend that was there too, trying to get him to leave.

"Oh, sorry, were you going to sign up?" Her fan asked. They had just signed their names for Academic Decathlon.

Perse froze, unsure how to speak. They wouldn't recognize her, right? They couldn't possibly, her powers make her unrecognizable. They were staring at her, waiting for an answer. She blushed, and finally found the words to speak.

"Uh. No. Bye." She turned and walked away, trying to get as far away from that encounter as she possibly could.

That was embarrassing, she thought to herself as she turned the corner. "God, what is wrong with me?" She muttered to herself as she exited the school. Perse couldn't stop kicking herself for that.

"That was weird." Ned mused before quickly putting it out of mind and going back to the board to sign up for a Star Wars club.

"Yeah." Peter looked at the now empty hallway, pushing his glasses up. "She was probably insulted that you practically _shoved_ her to get to the Decathlon sign up you _nerd_."

"Shut up, you're a nerd too." Ned rolled his eyes. "And I didn't shove her, I said excuse me."

"And then shoved her." He countered. They continued to playfully bicker like an old married couple. Peter didn't really care _that much_ about the encounter, but he just liked to mess with Ned.

When Perse approached her apartment complex, she noticed a lot of people up on the roof and smelled barbeque cooking. Once she got closer, a certain superhero leaned over the roof with an apron on and tongs in one hand.

"Hey! Come on up, I got ribs!" Clint called, waving Perse up. She then saw Al, who was supposed to be working on a deadline.

"Hawkeye is our neighbor!" He shouted, smiling so wide.

Perse shook her head, laughing. She went into the apartment first to drop off her bag before heading up.

There was music playing on the roof, but not too loudly. Some of the little kids were dancing, along with some of the adults. Everyone had a plate full of ribs and chips, a beer or soda in hand. This barbeque was Clint's way of saying, "Hi I'm Hawkeye, I live here now, now that we're well acquainted, please don't bother me at ungodly hours." And it worked.

"Hey, sweetheart! How was your first day?" Al hooked an arm around Perse, handing her a plate of food.

"Okay." She shrugged, immediately thinking of running into her fan. "A lot of homework to do already."

"You always get it done." He shrugged off, proud of his smart kid. "You sign up for any clubs?"

"Yeah, I might do Decathlon." Perse froze, realizing that wasn't a good club to sign up for. Academic Decathlon meant competitions that Al and Jimena would desperately want to come see. "But actually, most likely not. Spanish club seemed cool."

"Don't do Spanish club! You got Spanish club right here!" He said referencing how most of the people in this complex were Puerto Rican or Dominican, like Jimena who is Puerto Rican. "Sign up for Decathlon. And it'll look great on college resumes." He raised his eyebrows knowingly. Shit. She had to actually sign up for the club. She knew the raised eyebrow meant, "I'm raising you to be the best you can be, so you better sign up for that club." He did that look when he made her eat her veggies, watch a boring documentary, go for the occasional jog with him, anything that he tried to make an influence on her with.

"Okay." She sighed, taking a big bite out of her rib. There would be no other way around it. Maybe she can purposefully do so bad that she would only be an alternate. At least that way, she wouldn't be much of a presence. She could eventually drop out, or better yet, get kicked out. Yeah, that could work.

She looked over at Clint and saw him stuck in a conversation with Hank from 2C.

"Hawkguy."

"No, Hawk_eye._ Eye."

"…Hawkguy."

She couldn't help but laugh when they locked eyes and saw the pleading look he gave her.

That night, Perse lied awake and waited for her parents to fall asleep yet again. She didn't want to look to stop any crime tonight, but she just needed to fly around, find someplace to be alone. She flew out of her window and soared up. Before she would soar off into the nightlife, she heard Clint behind her.

"Off to fight crime?" He asked. She turned and saw that he was sitting in that God-awful lawn chair again.

"Not tonight, no." She chuckled. "Surprisingly." She decided to land on the rooftop as well and shifted back into her regular self.

"That's badass. And freaky." Clint commented. "Your parents know about this?"

"No." Perse said quickly. "God, no."

"Why?"

"Why? _Why_?" She looked at him flabbergasted. "They-they would have a heart attack! If Al and J knew…oh man, I don't think about what they might do."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm adopted. They were my foster parents. If they knew…I don't want to give them a reason to try to take me back." Clint's face softened at this.

"Kid, I'm sure that that wouldn't happen."

"People can surprise you." She said back, and by the way she looked when she said it, Clint knew there was a story behind that. But he decided not to push. "And you promised you wouldn't tell them!"

"I know, I know, and I'll keep that promise." Clint raised his hands up. "How did you get these powers anyways?"

"I don't know. I've had them for as long as I can remember." Perse didn't divulge how she can only remember the past four years of her life and nothing more. She didn't want to get that personal with Clint. Meanwhile, Clint kept his face passive, but the gears kept turning. It really is her, he thought to himself.

"Do you know how to fight?" He asked suddenly, getting up from his chair.

"No." She eyed him warily, wondering where this was going.

"Want to?" She started at him in disbelief, excitement thrumming underneathe her skin.

"Hell yeah."

**AN: It's Hawkeye! Surprise, surprise (If anyone has read my other story, you would know that Hawkeye has a special place in my heart since I changed his character as well). Again NO HATE towards Jeremy Renner, he's great and I think he's a great Hawkeye, and could embody the comic version better if he was given the opportunity. I just feel like the writers, directors, and producers could have done more with him, but again I still like the arc they gave him overall. And we'll see in this story how Hawkeye is connected to Perse's past…**

**Also pre-spider Peter wearing glasses! I just had to, it's like a necessity for Peter Parker. **

**And sorry for any errors, I didn't have time to grammar check and I really wanted this story to be out by today so that I can work on my other fic and also study for finals. Yay! (Not a real yay, help me)**

**Incorrect quote of the day: **

**Al: *Shining a flashlight under the bed***

**Al: Perse, are you ready to come out yet and interact with people?**

**Perse: *DEMONIC SCREECHING***

**Al: Understandable, have a good day.**

**(Got this from imaginedlokiquotes on tumblr)**


	4. Usually, the Sunshine Comes After

**AN: Thank you for all of the new favorites and follows! **

**WARNING: There is some gore/blood towards the end of the chapter.**

_Mani, Mani, god of the moon_

_Your time to shine is upon us_

_Your sister's time has already been served_

_May you watch me with your silver eyes_

_May you shine your light during the darkest night_

_And out line my dreams, fears, and curtains_

_It is you, the face of the night_

_Your faithful gaze reassures me_

_And maybe_

_Upon waking_

_I can feel your gaze once more_

_When you are joined again with your sister in the sky_

– "_Nightly Prayer to Mani" by runeslover on Tumblr_

The school bell rang for a final time in the school day. The class erupted into sound as student's chattered and tried to quickly filter their way out of the classroom. Mrs. Diaz handed everyone the packet for tonight's homework as everyone filed out, and Perse internally groaned. She was familiar with some Spanish, but she was having a hard time learning all of the grammar rules. And the fact that was already struggling with Biology as well, although she did well enough to keep her head above water.

To add on top of that, she joined the Academic Decathlon. After her first day and Al pressuring her to join, she went back to the sign up sheet the next day and scrawled her name. The try outs were not difficult, only a comprehensive test, review of her grades in current classes, and she spoke with Mr. Harrington who ran the team and she was in. Her strong suits were English, Art, and Pop Culture. The first meeting would be today. She definitely wasn't looking forward to that.

Despite the full slate of work Midtown provided Perse, she still found time to be Shadow. The name still wasn't growing on her, but it was either that or Nightmare. She would have preferred no name, she didn't care that she was slowly starting to make headlines every now and then. In fact, she would have preferred to avoid media attention altogether.

Perse made her way to Mr. Harrington's classroom, and let the music playing through her earbuds provide a barrier from everyone else walking in the hallways. Perse found that it felt less intimidating if she played music while walking to and from classes until lunch which is when she would hang around with Michelle. Michelle had started opening up a bit more, in a way. This only meant that Michelle and Perse somehow managed to form full conversations now without it being completely awkward. So when Perse walked into the class and saw Michelle secluded in a corner, she was relieved. Of course Michelle would make it in Decathlon, she was the smartest girl in her grade.

"Hey." Perse greeted, quieting down her music and standing next to Michelle.

"Hi." Michelle responded, brown eyes gliding over to Perse's grey ones. "Surprised to see you here."

"I could say the same for you." She countered, which made her friend smirk before walking off. Yeah, they were definitely friends now.

Perse looked around the room and noticed some familiar faces. The one that stood out the most was Ned Leeds. After that encounter on the first day of school, Perse noticed that Ned is in her Gym class as well as her Spanish. His friend, Peter Parker, is actually in the same Gym class as well as Perse's last class of the day, Spanish. She never noticed, but they sit right next to each other in Spanish.

Another person she noticed was the same boy from the office, Eugene. She only remembered him because of his name. Who still named their kids Eugene? Eugene was talking with most of the other kids that joined the team, which Perse deducted to be the "popular" kids of this group.

"That's one of the lottery winners." Perse heard Eugene whisper loudly to one of his friends. Perse quickly faced the other way, trying to hide her burning face. She couldn't bear to face them, to see their reactions. These were her teammates, and now she would have to try to work with them while they judged and hated her? She didn't care about Al's feelings anymore, she was one step away from dropping out of this club.

"Heard her dad isn't in the picture." He continued. Perse wanted to scream. Where did he even hear that? He's making things up!

"Really? That's sad." She heard a girl say, actually sounding sympathetic. "You know, there is a statistic about that." No, it wasn't sympathy, it was condescension. Who knew these kids could be so ignorant, so racist?

"I mean, you can't be surprised. Look at her, she looks like she hasn't showered in days." He continued, and Perse heard someone snicker.

Perse's eyes flashed a glowing blue for a moment as she accidentally sent out a wave of anxiety over everyone. Thankfully, no one noticed, but all conversation in the room stopped. No one looked at Perse, they had no reason to, but they were now on edge for no reason. The room suddenly felt colder (although it always was, they just didn't notice it until now), the room seemed darker (one of the lights were out). And then something happened that took Perse off guard.

"Leave her alone, Flash." Flash?

She finally looked up and saw that it was Peter Parker speaking to Flash/Eugene. She noticed that his hand was shaking, but they were clenched tight. He glanced back to Perse before squaring off to her bully again.

"I wasn't talking to you, Penis." Flash drawled, rolling his eyes and going back to his conversation with his friends, but about Peter instead. Peter seemed even more upset by the fact he was being ignored, but didn't speak up any further.

They were insulting his looks and the fact that he didn't come from a rich family. The other kids in the room slowly started resuming conversation. There was actually a lot of kids in here, but not all of them would stay for Decathlon. Only a select few will be a part of the competitions while the rest would be alternates. There would be too many extra kids, and those extra kids will drop out with nothing to do in here. This meeting and the next would determine who would be part of the "all-star" team versus the alternate team. Maybe Perse could just tell Al that she didn't make the cut, that they wanted to bench her and she wanted to find a club where she could contribute herself more. Like Spanish club.

She wiped away a stray tear before clenching onto the straps of her backpack and started making her way out of the class. Michelle watched as Perse tried to stalk off, but made no move to stop her. Perse couldn't help but feel hurt by that, even though Michelle didn't do anything wrong and she shouldn't expect Michelle to do anything for her.

Right when she was about to walk out of the classroom, Perse felt a hand grab onto her arm. Instinctively, she jumped and pulled away, but refrained from using her powers again like she stupidly had before. It was Peter that had grabbed her. He stepped away, eyes wide.

"Sorry." He said nervously, avoiding eye contact with Perse. His eyes are brown, a deep brown. And his glasses are a strong prescription, she could tell. "Flash is mean to everyone. Don't let him ruin Decathlon for you."

"Why did you defend me?" It unintentionally came out a little harsh. Perse couldn't understand why he had stood up for her. And she didn't mean to come off so rudely, she was just surprised. No one had stood up for her like that before.

"You looked like you needed defending." He shrugged, ignoring her tone. Typically, Perse would take offense to that, like when Al tried to help her carry something heavy or not let her do something that was considered "risky." But he didn't say it condescendingly, he didn't mean it in the sense that he was the knight to her damsel. He said it simply, like he did that because it was the right thing to do. Perse still wanted to say that she didn't need help, or to say thank you. She wanted to say _something_, but nothing came out.

"Alright, sorry I'm late!" A man walked in looking a little disheveled, grabbing everyone's attention. Mr. Harrington.

Perse and Peter looked back to each other, but the former still didn't say anything. Instead, she walked back towards the classroom and sat down at a table by herself. She would stay…for now. She did promise Al afterall, so she should at least try before inevitably quitting.

Mr. Harrington thanked everyone for coming to the very first meeting of this year's Decathlon team. He then had everyone stand up and announce their name, grade, and favorite subject.

"Flash. I'm in the 9th grade. I like History class, I guess."

"Michelle Jones. 9th grade. I'm great at everything."

"Cindy. 9th grade. My favorite subject is History."

"Hi guys, my name is Betty! I'm in the 9th grade and I love Chemistry."

"I'm Persephone–but everyone can call me Perse. I'm in the 9th grade, and I like Art."

"I'm Ned. I like Biology. Oh yeah, I'm 14."

"My name is Liz, I'm in the 11th grade and my favorite subjects are English and Physics."

"I'm Peter and I really like Physics and Chemistry."

"My name is Abe and I like Math."

The rest of the meeting was Mr. Harrington going over what days Decathlon would meet and club fees. Club fees? Perse looked at the sheet Mr. Harrington had handed out, and saw that she would have to pay $400 for uniforms, entrance to competitions, and travel costs. Maybe Al taking a look at how much it cost to join would deter him and Perse could just drop out. She put the paper in her bag, smiling. She noticed Flash look over, not glaring but a confused look on his face. He was wondering why the hell a poor girl would be excited for the expensive cost of being in Decathlon. In reality, the costs were not that expensive compared to what the price could truly be, and Mr. Harrington pointed out that Midtown generously covers a portion of costs to try to lessen the fees for the students. That number was still too high for Perse's liking.

"What are you smiling at?" He whispered, although he really sucked at whispering.

"Attention here, please." Mr. Harrington called out, staring pointedly at Flash. Perse stifled back a laugh, not wanting to gain his attention either. "Okay, so again: next meeting will be next Thursday. We'll start training then, headed by our Captain: Sheila Everwood. Remember: come back with the permission forms! Final payments are due by the end of the month. If anyone has any problems with that cost, let me know afterwards and we can sort something out. Okay. Meeting adjourned." He was kind of awkward, but Perse liked that about Mr. Harrington. It would make talking to him easier.

Flash looked at Perse once more before walking out of the room with some of the other kids. Almost everyone else filed out as Perse hung back. She didn't want to share the hallway and have to deal with Flash or anyone else that might make a comment. While she was gathering her things, she noticed that Peter and Ned had hung back. Peter walked up to Mr. Harrington with the payment sheet in hand, and Ned walked up to Perse. She started to silently panic. She did whenever she saw Ned now.

"Hey, I'm sorry about Flash." Ned said, trying his best to be friendly and welcoming.

Perse shrugged, casting her eyes downward. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I'm Ned by the way." Perse couldn't help but laugh. Ned was so innocent and sweet, and sometimes so dumb despite being so smart.

"I know." She smiled, picking up her backpack.

"Right." Ned chuckled, right when Peter walked up. "Also sorry for shoving you that first day."

"It's okay." Perse said, and then looking back to Peter. "Thank you, by the way." She looked at him, a real look this time. His ruffled curly brown hair, his glasses that she now noticed had tape since a part of the frame broke, his warm brown eyes, the fact that his shirt was slightly oversized.

"No problem." Peter nodded, struggling to make eye contact. "I know what it's like to feel out of place in this school." So Peter didn't come from rich parents either. He probably got in through alternative payment options. There was someone here that could relate to her.

Clint left a note on his door that said, "Resident superhero will be gone for the next couple days doing superhero stuff." And then another underneath that said. "Don't worry Mrs. Rosa, I fixed the water heater before I left :)"

It was still extremely strange that Hawkeye lived in her building, but it quickly became the new normal. Surprisingly, no one had revealed to the media where Hawkeye lived, but it mostly could have been coming from the realization that no one would have any peace or privacy if they blasted their own home like that. But Perse also felt it come from a sense of unity and respect. She likes the community she has here. They all take care of their own.

When Perse saw the note on his door as she passed to her apartment, she was dismayed. Clint had been giving her fighting lessons the whole week. She wasn't particularly good, but she wanted to be. She wanted to be a trained fighter, and use that expertise when she took on her vigilante activities.

She got home and found the place empty. Usually Al was home, but he was gone. She sent him a text, letting him know she got home safe. Perse took the rare opportunity of being home alone and decided to blast music on her tiny speaker as she started on her homework. Today wasn't a lot, but that was due to Perse usually getting work done during lunch or even during classes. It made her look like a total nerd, but the best part was that she noticed a good number of students do the same. Nerds.

English she had to write an essay on what it's like being a teenager and relating it back to _The Catcher in the Rye_. So many teenagers related to Holden Caulfield, loved his angst, but Perse found the character just as superficial as what he hated about society. In her eyes, Holden was just another one of those kids that tried to act like they were different and special because they hated the world. Perse loves the world. Of course she hates all of the bad, all of the terrors of humanity, but she loves the hope, the resilience. She loves that the Earth stood its ground against aliens and survived. It's her optimism that fuels her drive to do good deeds.

Dark came and Jimena came home with fast food.

"Too tired to cook." She argued, even though Perse didn't care.

"Where's Al?" Perse questioned.

"Out with his buddies." She responded, rolling her eyes. Jimena hated when Al went out with friends for some reason. Perse had never met them, but they sounded cool from Al's perspective. From Jimena's, they sounded like troublemakers. Perse always found that amusing.

"How was today's meeting?" Jimena questioned, taking all of their food out onto the dinner table.

"About that…" Perse said, hiding a smirk as she showed Jimena the payment sheet.

"Holy shit." Jimena cursed. It's a good thing Al wasn't home because it's easier for Jimena to say no to things. "400 just to answer some questions?"

"You're telling me." Perse threw her hands up, feigning annoyance and sadness at the cost.

"Well…" Jimena sighed, setting the paper down and holding Perse's hand. "Al and I had a long talk and we understand how much Academic Decathlon means to you." Al really is delusional. "So, don't worry, sweetheart. We can pay for this. Just go ahead and ask your teacher if we can pay him in installments." _What?!_

"Oh, that's great!" Perse feigned, grabbing the paper back. That really was just _great_.

"Anything for you, kiddo." Jimena, smiled, placing a kiss on her forehead.

At that moment, Perse felt guilty. She felt guilty because she realized that they really did try to do anything and everything for her, and maybe she had been taking that for granted. They got into a nice school, they want her to join clubs, they want her to experience a normal teenage life. But Perse could never fully experience the quintessential teenage lifestyle, not with the powers she has. But maybe she could at least try, for the sake of Al and Jimena. And it didn't hurt that she's already made sort-of friends in Decathlon.

Later that night, Perse sat on her bed and found Peter's Instagram. She found pictures of a Halloween where him and Ned dressed up as Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, one where he went to Comic Con and got a picture with writer Chuck Wendig of some Star Wars books, some of his beautiful aunt and uncle (but none of his parents, she noted), and a bunch of artsy-looking photos of parks, oceans, and skyscrapers. She ended up following him, and instantly regretted it. What if he found it creepy? They had barely spoken a few words and never gave him his handle, so he would know that she searched him. Don't panic, she told herself, it's not a big deal, it's just a follow! Maybe if I follow Ned too, she thought. So she did. She found Ned through Peter's account and followed him as well. There, all better…unless they both find it creepy! She groaned, tossing her phone to the side and falling back into the bed.

"Why am I like this?" She wondered aloud, mentally kicking herself for freaking out over _boys_. They were just boys. She was the Shadow, the Nightmare, the Boogeyman. A pair of dorky guys shouldn't stress her out. But they did. If Michelle were here, she would have teased her for caring about the opinions of these boys. It's not that Perse had any romantic interest in either one of them, she just always struggled trying to make friends. She wanted to not screw it up, again.

Perse's phone vibrated with a notification and she picked up her phone to see that Peter had instantly followed her back. Her eyes widened, and she couldn't help but smile. "Okay, so I didn't screw things up. Nice!" She hoped that Peter wouldn't judge her page, which mainly just consisted of her drawings. She never liked posting pictures of herself because she always found taking selfies to be an awkward affair. Ned had followed her too, and noticed that he was stalking her page since he had liked a five month old post of a drawing she did of a couple in a park. She smiled to herself, because she was freaking out for no reason. They were both just as dorky as she, if not more. Actually, most definitely more than her.

The next day at lunch, Perse was busy working on Biology homework as Michelle sat on the other side reading a new book. She had already finished their English assigned reading, and Michelle could never go long before her nose was stuck in another read. Perse's tongue stuck out as she worked on the fill in the blank worksheets and short response answers, eyebrows furrowed in concentration and confusion. Science was her hardest subject, the concepts weren't easy to Perse, but she eventually understood it. Right now, she had yet to fully understand the material. As she worked on one of the short responses, two trays suddenly appeared on the table along with two bodies. Michelle peeked her head from her book to suspiciously stare at Ned and Peter who just plopped themselves down before just as quickly going back to her book. Perse herself looked up, looking at the two boys that sat next to her.

"Hi." Ned smiled, taking a bite out of his pizza.

"Hi?" Perse said back, unsure of what was happening.

"Is that Bio?" Peter inquired, taking a look at her work. "Number ten is radioactive decay, by the way."

"Oh." Perse looked back down to her work, correcting the answer.

"I'm Ned." Ned greeted towards Michelle, but she didn't even bother looking up.

"That's Michelle." Perse supplied. "She doesn't talk much."

"Oh. Why?"

"She's a robot." She said straight-faced. She could tell that Michelle was smiling behind the book. "But her speech wiring goes on the fritz sometimes."

"Shut up." Ned said, his face dropping into mild annoyance.

"No, it's true!" Perse said, feigning earnest.

"Yeah, sometimes this robot can only say 'fuck off'." Michelle finally spoke up, making Perse laugh while Peter and Ned's eyes widen.

The rest of the lunch period consisted of Ned talking Perse's ear off with occasional comments from Peter and Perse, and Michelle resuming her silent demeanor. Perse still worked on her Biology homework as well, and whenever she struggled to find an answer or put in the wrong one, Peter would give her the correct answer. She was glad for the company, and that's not to say that she didn't mind the usual quiet lunches shared with Michelle, but it was nice to hear conversations and laughter at the table. It was strange how easy she fell in with them.

Once the bell rung, Michelle was already up and gone, not bothering to wait for Perse. She probably had her fill of social interactions for the day and wanted to be alone now. Perse respected that and didn't take any offense.

"How are you friends with her?" Ned asked, obviously being rubbed the wrong way by Michelle's attitude.

Perse shrugged in response. On the outside, it didn't really make much sense. Someone could easily be put off by Michelle, the girl didn't really care about people and their opinions. But after spending enough time around her, she knows that deep down, she's extremely caring where it counts. Michelle is the one that made an effort with Perse, walking up to her whenever she seemed alone. And she wasn't completely emotionless, as much as she acts like she is. Michelle also understood Perse and vice versa. They didn't need to be overtly expressive with their emotions or thoughts. Perse isn't the gossipy or spill out your emotions type, and neither is Michelle. That's what made them work so well.

"Don't take her the wrong way. Deep down, she's a good person." Perse said, collecting her things.

"Yeah, deep, deep, deep down." Peter muttered under his breath.

"Thanks for help with the homework, by the way." Perse said, suddenly feeling shy again.

"Oh, it's no problem." Peter nodded, also avoiding eye contact now. "Anytime."

Peter and Ned walked off in the opposite direction to get to their class, waving goodbye. She walked off towards Art with a smile on her face. When she got into Art, she saw Michelle working on a sketch before the final bell even sounded. She sat down next to her wordlessly, still in a good mood.

Once class started, Ansari just had the kids work on whatever they wanted to again. That's what it had been like the past week, and Perse was loving it. Today, she decided to do a portrait of Jimena in her uniform. She propped up her phone that had a picture from her induction ceremony to the NYPD. She was young when she joined, fresh out of high school. It was Jimena's dream to become a cop, and she achieved that. When Perse asked her a few months ago why she wanted to become a cop, she had said, "I grew up seeing a lot of bad cops, dirty cops. But then I met this one _really_ good cop when I was in the 10th grade. And there needed to be more good cops. I realized that instead of being in the sidelines not doing anything worthwhile, I could become that good instead. So I did." It was shortly after that that Perse started sneaking off into the night, using her powers instead of trying to keep them hidden.

"So I see you're in a thrupple now." Michelle finally spoke up, halfway into the class period. Perse looked up to see the now complete sketch Michelle had been working on. It was a rendering of three people, two guys and one girl that resembled Perse, Peter, and Ned with heart eyes and arrows sticking out of their heads.

"Aw, didn't know you were the jealous type!" Perse teased, earning an eye roll from Michelle. "You know, it could be a fourple."

"Ew." Perse laughed at her friend's disgust.

"Don't worry, I'll never leave you for some boys." Perse said, nudging Michelle's arm.

"They're already softening you up." Michelle said, referencing how friendly and talkative she was being with her.

"Shut up." Perse scowled, making Michelle smile, as if to say "There she is."

The rest of the class went by in silence between the two, but back their regular kind of coexisting. Perse found it amusing and endearing that Michelle actually got jealous of Ned and Peter because it proved that Michelle really did see her as a friend as well. And maybe Michelle had realized that for the first time herself. Once the bell rung, Perse tried something new that she knew Michelle would hate.

"See ya later…MJ."

Michelle's lips turned into a frown and her eyebrows turned downwards at hearing the nickname. Perse couldn't help but laugh, and quickly raced out of the room before Michelle could say anything in protest. She wouldn't dare do that again, but it was well worth the reaction. What Perse missed however, was Michelle's face soften as the former sped out of the classroom.

Perse got to Spanish before most of the other kids in the class since she practically speed walked the entire time, trying to create a bigger distance between her and Michelle. She sat down in her usual seat, already pulling out her completed homework assignment. Perse was actually doing better in the class (slightly, but better nonetheless). Jimena helped her most of the time, and she would make Perse try to speak more Spanish at home. Sometimes, Jimena and Al would have complete conversations in Spanish as a way to tease Perse but to also force her to understand better. It did help, even though it was frustrating and annoying sometimes.

Peter came into class and sat down in his usual seat as well, right next to Perse. He was on his phone, scrolling through something. Perse stayed in her bubble, not acknowledging Peter. He kept glancing over at her, obviously wanting to start a conversation but unsure how. He decided the best way was to clear his throat very obnoxiously.

Perse looked up, and Peter slightly blushed but then turned his phone screen at her and she saw that he was looking at one of her posts on Instagram. It was of the painting she did of Avengers Tower during the summer. It had only eleven likes, but that was more than her follower count so, a pretty big success in Perse's eyes.

"This is really cool." Peter complimented, and then pulled up another post of another painting she did of the Hudson. "This one too. Honestly, all of them are really cool."

"Thanks." Perse said, blushing at the attention. "You know, you're pictures are really good. The ones that you have posted. I liked them."

"Thank you." Peter responded, smiling. Something in Perse's gut had churned in seeing Peter smile. (Maybe the pizza in the cafeteria was bad. At least, that's what she told herself.)

Michelle got to class and Perse quickly looked away, her attention now on her friend. Michelle was trying to act all pissed off, but they both knew she really wasn't. In the end, they ended up working together on group assignments in class and got back into their regular banter and silence. Peter observed the way the two interacted and couldn't help but be dumbfounded. Ned was right, how were they friends?

At the final bell, everyone filtered out quickly as per usual, the excitement of being able to leave school infecting everyone. Michelle went to the front of the school to get picked up by her mom, Peter heading off to catch the train with Ned, while Perse walked towards a side exit to start on her walk home. The long walk left her mind thinking about lunch and how open she had felt with the boys and Michelle. It was a banter that she only displayed with her parents and no one else.

She was so stuck in her little world that she ignored the first police car that sped by. By the time a second one came through, she snapped out of her daydream. She watched as the second police car turned down a corner that made Perse's heart drop. The car turned on the same street of her apartment. She broke into a sprint, pumping her legs to carry her faster than ever before. The adrenaline spiked in her body, making her more alert. As she got closer, she could starting sensing the anxieties, the sadness, the commotion. Once she turned the corner herself, her own fears were confirmed. The cop cars were in front of her complex.

When she neared, she saw that the it was Jimena's partner who drove the second car. But no Jimena. She ran up to the scene, pushing past the crowd of people, some of them her neighbors who tried to hold her back. She shoved them, trying to get to Clark, Jimena's partner. His eyes were bloodshot. He looked like he had been crying. Perse made it past the crowd as her eyes momentarily glowed blue and she felt his pain. She understood it. She saw it in her mind.

"Kid." Clark noticed that Perse made it past the crowd, her eyes returning back to grey before he could have seen the blue glow. "You can't be here." His voice sounded far away. He seemed far away. The edges of her vision started blurring. This wasn't real.

Why did Perse have to look into Clark's mind? The lifeless eyes, the blood. It was all too much for Perse. She couldn't stay awake. She couldn't breathe.

Perse woke up in an ambulance, feeling extremely out of it. She couldn't focus for too long, she couldn't make out her surroundings. She just knew that she was strapped down to something and she felt like she was being tossed around like a ragdoll. When she groaned, the sound felt like it came from someone else. She didn't feel right.

"We got you, kid." A man said, but Perse couldn't find the body to match the voice. Who has me, she thought. She tried to focus on his voice, but she couldn't see him. She was alone in the back of the ambulance. It was a man driving up front, driving harshly. "We have you now." He didn't say these words comfortingly. Perse concentrated, trying to focus her powers. The tips of her fingers turned slightly black, but it couldn't stay and it disappeared. She was too drugged out of her mind to concentrate. Perse realized now that she wasn't safe, just like how Jimena wasn't safe.

Perse fumbled with the needle in her arm, trying to get it out. She managed to do this, but she ended up tearing skin and possibly her vein, because she was bleeding more than she figured she should be. The man up front hadn't noticed yet since he kept on driving. Perse's finger felt fat, like they had inflated into balloons. Focus, please, focus. She looked down on the restraints that was over her chest and thighs. She reached for the buckle strapping her chest and shoulders down, but it was barely out of reach. She instead reached for the restraints on her , focus, _focus_. She got those free. With tremendous effort, her eyes glowed as her whole hand turned black and the mist danced around her fingers as she managed to form one of her daggers. She managed to cut through the shoulder restraint. Dagger still in hand, she managed to sit up. She was still feeling groggy, but the effects were lessening.

"HEY!" The man had noticed her now, and was jerking the ambulance around to try to knock her out.

Perse slammed into the side of the ambulance, and the bed knocked into her as well. She conjured another another dagger and aimed it at him. She missed, by a longshot, but she tried again. She missed again. _FOCUS. _She turned all black, the energy of her powers surrounding her and her eyes glowed brighter. She focused on him, and struck him with so much fear, he pissed himself.

"Oh shit!" The man exclaimed, and he slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched, and the man yanked on the wheel frantically, not knowing what to do. Maybe freaking him out wasn't the best idea, but Perse didn't know what else to do.

She flew forward, crashing straight into the dashboard, but thankfully didn't go through the windshield. Her chest burned, and she was pretty sure she just broke something. Still, she fought through the pain and gripped onto the man's arm. His eyes turned black, and he started screaming. He let go of the wheel and the ambulance lost complete control at this point. They crashed, and again Perse's body knocked against the interior, this time hitting her head pretty hard. She let go of the man, who was shaking now. The black slowly started receding back as she started going in and out of consciousness. That hit really got her, coupled with the drugs still in her system.

The back of the ambulance doors opened, the light shining brightly. Was it help? Was she saved?

"You fucking idiot. You were supposed to make sure she was sedated enough. She's not a normal kid." Another man walked up, a gun pointed straight at Perse. "And she's bleeding out. We gotta get her to Whitehall _fast._"

She weakly held her hand up, eyes glowing again. But before she could do anything, he fired. A dart shot out and landed on her neck. Black spots started dancing in her vision, it was like she had never slept a day in her life. She tried to fight it, but couldn't. What was happening? What happened to Clark? What happened to Jimena? The last image in her head was of seeing Jimena's body riddled with bullet holes as she laid on the ground of their apartment. Green eyes open but lifeless. The terror that Clark had witnessed, the reason why he looked so distraught. She came home from work early, and someone had murdered her. Al's things were missing. Where was Al?

Perse's eyes returned to their regular grey color as she finally let go and passed out. The man at the wheel looked at the girl with terror. The other that had tranquilized her looked at his partner with disgust.

"We gotta get outta here." He said, picking up Perse and lifting her over his shoulder while not-so-accidentally knocking her head against the roof of the ambulance. "Dude, did you piss yourself?"

"I-is she really worth all of this trouble?" He asked, getting out of the seat.

"Malick's orders." He's responded gruffly. "Now let's get out of here or we die!"

They quickly exited out of the ambulance and ran into a black SUV. The man threw Perse into the trunk and then the two men got in the car and raced out of there. The ambulance still played the siren noise, catching the attention of some people as they passed by. It was an unnerving sight, to see an abandoned ambulance with not even medics there. The police were quickly notified and Clark responded to the call since he was not far away. He needed to get his mind off of what just happened.

Perse had passed out and at the same moment, the ambulance finally came. The medic quickly grabbed Perse while Clark told him how she had just passed out and might have hit her head. Clark told him how there's another body inside, a dead one. His partner. The medic didn't show any sympathy, just said that another ambulance was on its way. He loaded Perse onto the bed and carted her into the back. The medic said that she would be okay. He then sped off, sirens wailing. Clark had so much on his mind he didn't even acknowledge that the medic was alone. Usually there were at least two or three. Wasn't there two?

When Clark had answered the call, his mind didn't instantly piece together the clues either until he saw the ambulance. And then it clicked in his mind. There was only one medic. And that medic didn't even have a badge on. He called in an APB, describing what the medic looked like and that he had kidnapped Persephone Perez, the foster daughter of his partner. And to also keep a search out for Al Perez, person of interest number one.

**AN: Wow that escalated! If anyone notices the name drops here, I won't be going into Agents of SHIELD storyline whatsoever besides Whitehall and Malick. Everything is up in the air right now with Jimena dead, Al missing, and Perse being kidnapped. I might make the next chapter a flashback chapter, but you'll definitely learn why everything happened by next chapter. **

**I hope you guys liked all the fluff I put in before everything went to hell. Also to note that the scene when everyone introduces themselves, are not the only kids there. I just wanted to name drop the main cast and those that will ultimately stay. The only OC character I name dropped was Sheila Everwood, who's a senior and captain, but everyone else is from Homecoming. **

**Incorrect quote from Grey's because I feel like Perse and Michelle are nearly exactly like Meredith and Cristina:**

**Michelle: We don't have to do that thing where I say something and then you say something and then someone cries and there's a moment or whatever?**

**Perse: Oh, yuck. **


	5. V

**AN: WOW posting back to back! I should be studying, I need to stop procrastinating. **

**WARNING there is a violent scene in this chapter that's kinda gorey. I don't think I ever go too crazy with the gore, and this isn't intense but I just like to warn those in case they don't like it.**

"_From the ashes a fire shall be woken. A light from the shadow shall spring. Renewed shall be blade that was broken. The crownless again shall be king."_

–_J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings._

_Seven Years Ago…_

The damp, dimly lit hallway was never ending. One light fixture flickered every few seconds, and a part of the concrete ceiling was leaking. No natural lighting entered this hallway, since it was underground. No sense of time existed here. In one of the many rooms in the hallway, housed a little girl.

Her room had a small, hard bed with a thin blanket and flat pillow. In the corner, a toilet and sink with a single bar of soap and single roll of toilet paper. The light bulb stuck out of the ceiling, the edges around it cracking. The light bulb didn't originally belong there, it was added hastily. The door locked from the outside, and there was no handle to even hold on to. A very gray room, with no color to stimulate her eyes. With nothing to do in there. She sometimes hummed songs to herself, whatever she could remember. Remembering was hard. She knew she belonged somewhere else, before she woke up in this room, but so much time had passed that she couldn't remember where she belonged. A face always popped up in her mind, but she couldn't remember the details. Just a faceless person remained in her mind.

The door creaked open. The noise pierced the little girl's ears, and she winced. She tried to make herself smaller, curling in and looking down. A man stood at the doorway, casting a long shadow. He stood there for only a brief moment before he reached a hand out and gently called her over. She walked over, remaining meek. When she got closer, she recognized him. He was always kind to her whenever she had to leave the room. She didn't like it when she had to leave the room. Bad things happened when she left the room.

She held onto his hand as they walked down the hallway. They passed the flickering lights. They passed the leaky ceiling. They turned into another hallway. Went up a set of stairs. Down another hallway. Through the last door at the end of the hallway.

The man opened the door and revealed the room. Here, there's a window, but it's dark outside. No sunlight. There were multiple people in the room, chattering in a language the little girl didn't understand. Once the little girl entered the room, conversation stopped. Another man, this one more uncaring and harsh, grabbed the little girl by the shoulder and practically shoved her forward. She struggled to keep herself upright as he pushed her forward towards the metal bed. She hated this bed. But she's learned at this point not to cry when it was time to approach the metal bed. She also learned not to squirm or yell out when bare skin made contact with the extremely cold slab. The mean man and some others hovered around her as they connected strings, wires, tubes to her body. They spoke in their weird language and then they turned something on and these bright lights turned on, making a humming noise. And that's when the pain started. That's when she couldn't stay meek anymore.

_Present day…_

The police couldn't find Persephone Perez. She was featured on the nightly news, the newscaster asking to keep an eye peeled on a Hispanic 14 year old girl last seen wearing a yellow shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes.

Aunt May clicked her tongue, dismayed. It worried her that this young girl lost her mother and was abducted, especially since it happened not far from here. She looked to Peter, who was in the dining room working on his homework. He stuck his tongue out whenever he was concentrating. She could never imagine losing Peter.

The news had now moved on to the next story, and would not revisit Persephone Perez for the rest of the night. Not many people had seen the news coverage of the missing Queens native, but Liz Allen had. She recognized the girl when her picture showed up on screen as the same girl she saw in Academic Decathlon. It didn't take long after that for news to spread online to other students that a fellow Midtown High student is missing (and presumably dead).

Michelle saw one of the posts spreading like wildfire, asking for everyone to keep an eye out for Persephone. To keep an eye out for her Perse. She didn't believe it at first. She thought it was a sick prank played by some sick kids. But it was real.

Ned saw the same post, and instantly sent it to Peter. He was freaking out, and started to cry. He barely knew the girl, but he already felt like a friend to her. He had bonded with her at school today. How did she go missing between then and now? Her mom dead. Who was a police officer and had adopted her. Ned didn't even know that about Perse. He couldn't help but conjure up in his mind that whoever killed her mom, also took Perse.

Peter didn't see Ned's texts until an hour later since he had his phone on silent. When he opened his phone and saw the posts, his heart stopped. Perse's mom was murdered? Perse was missing? Is missing. When he found the news clips online, he saw that Perse didn't live far from here. He could have offered her a ride home. He could have walked with her. He could have done _something_ and she might still be here. Peter's Uncle Ben noticed the tears welling up in his nephew's eyes and wrapped an arm around him, asking what was wrong.

The news of Perse's mysterious disappearance didn't just reach to the Midtown students. It also reached someone who had been his trying his best to keep an eye on her for the past week. And upon seeing the news coverage, he realized he failed.

_Six Years Ago…_

The little girl only knew life on base, trapped behind bars. But it wasn't so bad. They fed her well, gave her fresh clothes, and they gave her toys now. The toys she had to thank for one of the scientists. He had always been kind to her, since day one. And it had been a long time since they had hurt her last. She didn't have to lay down on the slab anymore and take on whatever pain when they turned on those strange lights. She had changed as well.

At first, it was scary. All of the time. She was always scared. The kind man had told her she was directing it inwards. She wasn't sure what _it_ was. Only that _it_ allowed her to feel fear. Her own and others as well. Her skin would transform to the midnight sky, and her eyes would glow. She could make other scared. But she didn't like doing that. The scary men like List would make her or she wouldn't be allowed to eat, but as long as she did what she was told, she was okay. He told her that they were bad people, and bad people needed to be punished. It still never sat well with her, but it helped to think that she was doing something good, something that made them smile. They wouldn't smile for bad things, people only smile for good things.

Now, she had more control. She wasn't scared anymore, but she could always tell when someone else was. She got better at making other people scared. She could also make things out of her black energy, like weapons or balls to be sent and make someone nearly pass out from fear. They called it training, preparing. Dr. List told her that she was destined for greatness, that she would help them change the world, save people from themselves. He said that was she was Salvation. She didn't understand what that meant, but she liked how it sounded.

They also taught her to read and write in not only English, but Russian and German as well. The nice man had taught her. He was in charge of taking notes on her progress, but he also became her teacher at some point. He taught her arithmetic as well, and all the other basic things that an eight year old ought to know.

She noticed that everyone went by a name, made up of letters, except for herself. Her name was E-5. The kind man always referred to her as "Vee" like a nickname as sorts. The man went by the name Dr. Bassett. But he always told Vee to call him Al. He was a fan of nicknames.

_Present Day…_

The taste of blood and bile rose in the back of Perse's throat. She coughed up, groaning and disgusted with herself. Her head was ringing, and it felt like a hundred rubber bands were snapped on. She woke up in a dank, dark room that resembled a prison cell but slightly bigger. There was the bed with a very thin mattress and blanket in one corner and a rusty toilet in the opposite corner. Her shirt is covered in blood stains, her own blood, she realized. She was bleeding out. She was kidnapped.

She shot up from the bed, instantly going dizzy from getting up too fast. She looked down at her arm, which was once bleeding. There was gauze covering the wound, and when she opened it, saw that someone had stitched her up. She covered the wound back up and surveyed the room. No windows, her only source of light the little bulb on the ceiling. The surrounding area had cracks in it, and Perse was suddenly struck with an intense case of deja-vu. She didn't know why, but those cracks were extremely familiar. She continued to inspect, and noticed that there was a door, but no lock or even a handle. She pressed firmly against the door, to see if it would give. Not even an inch. She walked back towards the bed and sat on the edge, trying not to lose her mind. She couldn't lose her mind in here, wherever here was. Jimena always warned her of traffickers, to always be aware of your surroundings, to always scream. Jimena.

"Oh, God." Perse whispered, tears flowing freely now. She broke down at remembering Jimena was dead. She forgot. She woke up and forgot that she was dead. Now it hit her like a ton of bricks. She could only hope that Al was okay too.

_Five Years Ago…_

They had trained her now. E-5 became skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and she had complete control of her abilities now once Dr. List had learned all that he could about them. She's nine now, but the things she's gone through was more than a lifetime of hurt. But she bounced back, that's why they liked having a young subject. She fared off better than the others. The others either went insane or didn't have enough control. They can mold E-5, and mold her they did. Dr. List still often called her his Salvation, and she remained impassive at that name. She hated that name, she hated Dr. List. She liked being Vee. While she was Vee, she was still a child, there was still an innocence to her despite having killed people. Vee was told that today was a big day for her. Today would be her "graduation ceremony." Nothing was explained further.

Vee stayed in the same room all these years, her home. It was kept bland, pristine. When Vee was told that today was the big day, she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something told her that she wouldn't be coming back to her home. She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to kill any more people. She knew that's what they expected of her. Justice's Mighty Sword. She didn't feel mighty.

A small black dagger enshrouded in mist–which she knew was her energy plasmas–carved into the wall. Vee pushed down, making sure that she left more than just a scratch, and stuck her tongue out in concentration. "Vee" was hidden next to the bed, small but bold, and would only be noticeable to someone if they laid down and examined the the side of the metal bed. She knew there was no logical point in leaving a message, leaving her name. Maybe it was a hope that if someone came next, they would find it and not feel so alone. She hoped that if someone came next, they would be comforted. Maybe she just wanted to leave a mark, a whisper of acknowledgment of her existence. A way of saying, "I was here." Her fingers brushed over the small carving of her name as she heard the door unlock and she shot up, sitting with perfect posture as the door opened.

"Hey Vee." Al. She smiled up at him, and took his waiting hand like she first had all those years ago.

They walked down the hallway, but it was slow. And Al's palm was sweating. And she could sense something was off, she always could. But she didn't say a word, she kept her head straight. They told Vee who they were. Hydra. They said that Hydra helped people, that Hydra would save the world from its own corruption and sin. Al lead Vee into the same room where she used to go when they would hurt her. Usually, there were countless men in lab coats in the room, but today, only Dr. List and two other men in suits. They looked serious, professional. She heard List call them Mr. Malick and Mr. Pierce. They looked Vee up and down, seemingly unimpressed.

"Well, we'll leave you to it," Mr. Pierce said, nodding his head, "We'll return when she's ready." The two men walked out, and Mr. Malick cast one more look Vee's way, a look that was menacing. Chills went up and down her spine.

"Okay, Vee, up and at 'em." Al said, coaxing her onto the metal slab. "This is different from when you were little. It'll hurt, I won't lie to you. But then there's a point where it doesn't." She trusted his words, and she nodded. Looking up at the ceiling, she noticed these weird objects hovering over her head. "Okay, now bite down on this." She bit down on the mouthguard and then Al strapped her down. Al started getting more stressed now, but still didn't show it on his face.

"In three, two…" Dr. List counted down, and suddenly, those weird objects came down on her head. It pricked her, and she winced, but that wasn't the pain that Al was talking about. The shocks started. Her body convulsed as the pain rocked through her in waves and she couldn't help but scream. The mouthguard may have muffled it, but the agony couldn't be hidden.

She looked over, and suddenly saw Al being carried away by the Hydra guards. His head hung, obviously unconscious. Dr. List was yelling after him, but Vee couldn't make it. Her screams drowned out all other noise, and she wasn't sure what made her scream more: the pain or seeing Al being dragged away. She fought against her restraints, keeping her eyes locked on Dr. List. The pain was getting unbearable, and Al was gone. She did something that she wasn't allowed to do. Vee disobeyed. She transformed and black tendrils shot out in all directions. Dr. List cowered back in fear and called out for guards as he escaped out of the room. Were they going to kill her? Could they kill her?

The four guards that came in were terrified, but still kept their guns trained on Vee. Staying awake was difficult. She slightly let go. Now she couldn't hold on. She was going to die. Vee didn't see this as she slipped away, but two of the guards suddenly aimed their weapons at the other two guards.

The poor little girl passed out from the pain, but the machine was still running.

"Get it off!" One of the guards that turned ordered to the other, as he raced to the girl while the other turned off the machine.

"We gotta get out of here, Clint." The second guard said, sounding tense. They had a very small window before hell was rained down on them and she knew that.

SHIELD had received a tip that well funded scientists were performing heinous experiments. They sent in Hawkeye and Black Widow. They didn't know then that it was Hydra. They hid themselves behind fake shell corporations, behind fake names. They were smart too. Erased all the files, some of them killed themselves before getting the chance of being apprehended. Dr. List successfully got away. To some, the mission was seen as a loss because no information was gathered, no one was caught. But to Clint and Natasha, the mission was a success because they saved a nine year old girl.

_Present Day…_

Perse needed to steel herself. She needed to stop crying. She needed to get out.

She heard the door start to unlock and she thought fast. She laid down on the bed, and was going to pretend to still be passed out. She noticed an inscription carved into the wall, very small. Vee. There wasn't any time to inspect or contemplate the word because the door opened at that moment and Perse shut her eyes. The man that had knocked her out in the ambulance came into the room. He neared the bed, speaking into a walkie saying how E-5 was still knocked out. E-5? Perse thought to herself. She waited until he got closer. She had to wait until he got close enough because she wouldn't have a lot of time.

"Our Salvation." He scoffed, crouching down. She could feel his breath. Their Salvation? Who were these people? Why did they think she belonged to them? "Yeah, right." Right then, Perse's eyes shot open and they glowed that menacing blue that strikes fear into the hearts of her enemies. She grabbed his face with one hand and let the fear take over. The other hand conjured a dagger which she held to his neck.

"Should've used a stronger sedative." She growled, referencing to when he had insulted his partner for not giving her a strong enough sedation. She was now turning all black and had the man at her mercy. She had grown more powerful than her formative years back at this base. But she didn't recognize the room, she didn't understand why she was here.

"You're not gonna kill me." He said through gritted teeth, trying to make a brave face. But Perse knew the truth, she always did. He was scared shitless.

"No." She shook her head, rising from the bed but still keeping the dagger trained on it. He winced as she drew blood. "But you're going to wish you had!" She took his hand and stabbed him to the metal bed frame. He was stuck there and let out an agonizing scream before she sent him into further nightmares that he lost sense of reality and passed out.

She ran out of the room, locking it behind her. The dagger would have dissipated by now. Once she lets go control, they don't remain physical. She didn't know where to go and just blindly chose to go right. She ran to the end of the hallway. There was a crack on the ceiling, and a small steady stream of water was leaking through. So she was underground. Before she opened a door, she made sure there were no people on the other side. It led up a set of stairs. She took them two and three at a time as she raced up. Her adrenaline was pumping, her heart was pumping, the blood flow in her head was pumping. At the top of the stairs, she sensed two people. They were both scared, but not for themselves. She leaned against the door, quieting her breathing as she concentrated. What were they scared of? She could use it against them to continue her frantic escape. She audibly gasped when she saw what it was. And confused. But also relieved.

Perse swung open the door and Hawkeye drew his arrow as Black Widow pointed her pistol. They both lowered their weapons instantly once they realized who it was. Black Widow looked on wordlessly, her expression unreadable. Hawkeye grinned, letting out a breath.

"Jesus, kid. You really had us worried." Clint said. "Come on, we gotta get outta here." At that moment, the ceiling shaked and bits of concrete fell off and rained down. "That would be Stark." Stark? As in Iron Man? The Avengers were here to save Persephone?

Before Perse could speak, a door opened and a few guards came running out. When they saw the two famous Avengers, they immediately began firing their weapons. Black Widow pushed Perse away from the line of fire as she began to retaliate. Hawkeye did as well, and fired an explosive arrow. Two men fell down, but one still remained upright. Black Widow got a bullet in his knee and shoulder, trying to incapacitate him. Perse peeked around the corner and sent a ball of plasma energy that took hold of him and he yelled out for mercy. Black Widow turned to see Perse's fingers dance as the man got worse, her eyes glowing brighter for a moment. And then he passed out.

Black Widow and Hawkeye shared a look before the former tried to grab Perse to help her up from the ground. Perse jumped back, still in her dark form. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." She warned, not harshly, but caringly. Widow put her hands up, nodding.

"Okay, but we have to go now." Another explosion from the outside rocked the inside.

Perse got up and she followed the pair of heroes as they raced down the hallways. She passed by an open door that revealed a room with a strange metal contraption inside. It looked like a surgery room, but not quite, more menacing. And a strange metal helmet laid on top coming from the ceiling. It made Perse slow down, and she got that strange sense of deja-vu again.

"Kid, keep up!" Clint called over his shoulder. Perse shook her head, and caught back up. They went up three flights of stairs before they made it outside. It was snowing, and it seemed that this secret undercover base was in the middle of nowhere. At least Perse knew that they were definitely _not _in New York. Were they even in the United States? Iron Man, Captain America, and Scarlet Witch were fighting off at least forty men, but they didn't seem in the least bit distressed or struggling.

"Okay, you see that Quinjet?" Clint pointed off to the distance, and sure enough through a small break in the trees, she did. "Get there. We're shutting this place down for good." Perse didn't want to escape though. She wanted to fight. Flashes of Jimena came up in her mind, and she wanted to fight.

"No! I can help!" She said back defiantly.

"This isn't up for discussion." Clint argued, patience wearing thin in this high stress situation.

"Okay, so we won't discuss it." Perse shrugged, flying off.

She summoned forth her energy and she became a force to be reckoned with. The way the black energy poured from her body, the way that her eyes almost looked white instead of its usual blue hue, and the big sphere's of plasma ready to strike made the Hydramen momentarily stop their fighting. And they hadn't even felt her power yet. She threw the dark energy towards them, and watching as it hit a few. They immediately fell to their knees and the others that did not get hit now tried to fire at Perse. Suddenly, someone came up in front of her. Iron Man. He shot his repulsor blasts while Perse kept cover behind him, continuing to attack. She threw daggers that impaled men while it also infected their mind with fears. Scarlet Witch lifted some of them tossed them far away. The last few remaining, Captain America took them down with ease.

Iron Man turned to face Perse, who still wanted to keep fighting. The fight couldn't be over, could it? "Romanoff, Barton, go back inside for a full sweep. And find us any goodies if you can." He commanded, speaking into his suit. Down below, they headed back inside to the base. The face plate retracted to reveal the face of Tony Stark. Normally, Perse would be in awe. She would be tripping over her feet asking for a picture. But normally, she would be back home right now watching Jeopardy or whatever was on the TV with Al and Jimena. She would be doing her homework. She should be back home.

"I'll race you to the jet?" He said, trying to lighten the mood.

Perse ignored him, and floated back down as she slowly turned back to normal. The Avengers all knew that she was just a kid, but man, she was just a _kid_. When she took on her other form, it isn't so obvious. From what Nat and Clint had briefed them on, she had been through untold horrors, but didn't remember a lick of it. Tony didn't know what was worse in this situation: not being aware of her past or being aware of her past.

The floor level to the base looked like a small, concrete office building. It looked so completely out of place in all of this snow. She wanted to go inside, to explore the place. There was something within her that felt drawn to it. Everything felt off kilter now. Slightly out of place. She wanted to go back to yesterday. Wait, how long had she been gone?

Scarlet Witch carefully approached the girl, trying her best not to startle her. From what she had heard about the little girl, she may very well be able to rival her own abilities. "Persephone?"

Perse turned around to face the heroine with tears brimming her eyes. "How long?"

"What?"

"How long have I been missing?" She was afraid of the answer.

"Three days." She responded solemnly. A tear spilled over, and then another. Three whole days. It's Monday. She should back in school. Hanging out with Michelle. Maybe Peter and Ned as well. How can she go back to school after all of this? Back to normal?

"And Al?" Wanda tilted her head in confusion, expression still soft. "My dad." She had never said that out loud.

Wanda's face changed, and she broke eye contact with Perse. Perse didn't like that, not at all. Because that face said that there were no good news to tell.

"I'm sorry, Persephone." Iron Man came down, now completely getting out of the suit. Captain America approached as well, wanting to provide comfort but not sure how. "Police found his body…" Tony Stark's voice faded out, Perse couldn't concentrate on anything anymore. Her emotions shut off.

_Two Years Ago…_

Al had been pacing back and forth all night. Jimena sat on top of the bed watching him, almost with amusement, but annoyance decided to shine through.

"You've spent so long finding her. And you did! She's gonna have a home now." Jimena reminded him, trying to calm him down.

He was nervous because after spending four years trying to find Vee, he finally did in the foster system in New York City of all places. All that time spent in Hydra were the darkest years of his life. He was a scientist, and just wanted to pursue science. He didn't care about the politics, just cared that they offered him more money and a chance to do research. When he started witnessing the horrors, he probably should have left and reported it the police. Well, his wife. But he didn't. He was scared they would murder him and his unknowing wife, Jimena. And also the fact that he couldn't bring himself to leave Vee. He wanted to be the one to save her and he almost did the day that she was saved by SHIELD. Al tried to attack Dr. List, but failed. The guards were going to lock him up when the alarms rang. Everyone tried to get rid of all of the evidence and escape, and during all of that commotion, Al managed to snag a few files on Vee and escape. He still had them today.

Once Al made it out of there alive, he flew home to Los Angeles and told Jimena the whole truth. It nearly ruined their marriage, considering she was a cop and all, but they made it through. They changed their last name from Bassett to Perez: Jimena's maiden name. Then within the year, they moved to Harlem in New York, Al's hometown. Al spent all of those years searching when he finally found a Persephone Kosmos living in the foster system in Queens. It was Vee. Jimena knew how important this was to Al, how much he loved that little girl and tried his best to take care of her while she was stuck in Hydra. So, they moved to Queens and the pair managed to pull some strings, got licensed to become foster parents, and were going to have Persephone on their doorstep tomorrow.

"What if she remembers me? What if she sees me, and it triggers something?" Al worried. He only ever wanted what was best for her, but now he was beginning to doubt that he could be that best for her.

"You said that her mind was wiped that day." Jimena reasoned. "And even if she did remember you, I don't think she would see a monster. She would see the caring man that watched over her all those years in there."

"What about her powers?"

"I don't think she knows she has them."

"How could she not know?"

"She's not in another lab right now. There are no reports of a little girl turning into everyone's worst Nightmare on the news. I don't think she would still be in the foster system if she had her powers, it's kind of hard to hide it that well. That mind wipe might have worked too good and repressed her powers. We'll just have to be careful with her. Make sure that the day she rediscovers them, we'll help her through it."

"God, I love you." Al finally plopped down on the bed, and Jimena curled up next to him. He didn't know what he would do without her and her unwavering support. He also just couldn't wait for Vee–for Persephone–to join their family. Maybe one day, when she got older, he would tell her the truth. He just wanted to give her a family first. He wanted to give her the world.

_Present Day…_

The ride back home on the Quinjet was silent for the most part. No one wanted to disturb the teenage girl that had lost both of her parents. She didn't want to be disturbed either. It didn't feel real.

Stark had only said they found his body not far from the apartment complex, near the ambulance. But there was so much ugly that he left out. Officer Clark was found dead there too. The police had ruled it a double murder-suicide. That's what they wanted it to look like. The remnants of Hydra. They killed Jimena. Then they killed Al when he walked home with a bag of Delmar's. They waited for Perse to arrive. When she did, they planned on making Perse fall asleep with a dart from a distance while the Hydra agents took her in the ambulance. It was probably funny to them that Perse did that part for them when she passed out from the shock of losing Jimena. The ambulance came and took Perse. But then Clark was smart and noticed that wasn't a real medic. Perse made it easy for them again when she woke up and forced a crash to happen. From there, they managed to put Al's body in alleyway around the corner from the accident. They lured in Clark and fired two shots; one that was for Clark and killed him instantly, and the other to sound it off so that witnesses could report hearing two gunshots. Once Clint caught wind of Perse's missing report, he and Nat worked hard to find her. It wasn't hard to find that she was back at that cursed base. Hydra had gone sloppy, even with piecing together their murders, although it was enough for the police to buy. Tony Stark's friend and partner, Maria Hill, came as a case worker and reported that they had found Persephone hiding out behind a dumpster a mile away from the scene. In reality, the Avengers were currently on their way to save her. But they needed to protect Perse's identity. The public couldn't know the truth about what really happened, even though the fake story was extremely ugly. It was now reported that Persephone Perez was safely found and was currently being placed in a new foster home.

It also turned out that they were somewhere deep in Canadian forest. Perse had numbly wondered at one point if this is where she originally came from. Canada. Did she have family here that she doesn't know about? Did Hydra kill them? Why did Hydra ever want her in the first place? Perse had to accept that these questions would most likely never be answered, and while that bothered her, she would rather have Al and Jimena back than to know the truth.

**AN: That's so dark. I'm so sorry. Losing Al and Jimena is the equivalent of Peter losing Uncle Ben. They weren't her biological parents, but they were raising her. Al especially since he formed that bond with her back in the Hydra days. While they are gone, we'll still be learning more about them here and there, whether in flashbacks or little bits of information sprinkled around, I'm not sure yet. And the fact that they were murdered by Hydra but everyone will think that Al killed Jimena and tried to kidnap Perse will take a big toll on her so she has to cope with that as well, and she definitely won't like that. It's certainly a really shitty way of starting out the school year. Next chapter will still be a somber affair, but there'll be some fluff in there as well instead of being totally dark like this one. **

**Also if anyone was wondering or not sure how I got the nickname "Vee" that Al gave her, it's from her "name" E-5 (Experiment #5), and V is the roman numeral for 5. I also did kind of a shadow reference to Captain Marvel, where the Kree named her Veers. **

**Incorrect Quote: **

**Clint: Wow, you're very mature for your age.**

**Perse: Thanks, it's the trauma.**

**(Saw this on Insta) **


	6. At the Center of the Kosmos

_There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,_

_And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;_

_And frogs in the pools, singing at night,_

_And wild plum trees in tremulous white,_

_Robins will wear their feathery fire,_

_Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;_

_And not one will know of the war, not one_

_Will care at last when it is done._

_Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,_

_If mankind perished utterly;_

_And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,_

_Would scarcely know that we were gone._

–_There Will Come Soft Rains, Sara Teasdale_

The Avengers Tower became a beacon for New York the past few years. Perse herself always marveled at it, and was always curious to see the inside. She imagined herself running around like a giddy child at Disneyland, but that didn't happen when the Quinjet landed on the pad on the roof. They led Perse to their living room area, where the balcony led out to small platform that Iron Man could be seen entering and exiting from in the past. When Perse had jumped off this tower the past summer, she didn't expect to be invited inside. And she hated it. She hated it because it was under the circumstance of being orphaned, yet again in her life. She hated it because her life became increasingly complicated.

The Avengers all crowded in a circle in the kitchen, whispering. But Perse knew they were talking about her. They were trying to figure out what to do with her. Throw her back into the system? Hydra could still be after her. While they continued talking, Perse looked down at her hands. They turned black again, and she created a small ball. The energy kind of pulsated, wisps of black dancing around the concentrated area of the ball. She had always wondered where _this_ had come from. She couldn't shake the feeling that her powers came from that Hydra base, and she couldn't explain that feeling either. The ball disappeared and her hands returned to their normal color.

"Hey, kid." Clint said, sliding a plate of PB&J on the coffee table in front her. The crusts were even cut off, although Perse didn't mind eating the crust. Perse remained invisible, not speaking or moving. "Why don't I go get your stuff for you? And you can stay here?" At that, Perse's eyes shot up.

"No." She shook her head. She wanted to go home. Jimena's body popped up in her head again, and a stray tear fell down. She hastily wiped it away. She hated crying in front of people; she hated feeling so vulnerable. "I need to go."

"Okay." He nodded. "Come on."

Clint handed her a long hoodie with an asymmetrical cut in a deep red color for her to put on. It was already extremely late into the night, but Clint didn't want to risk anyone bothering her in her fragile state. Ava grabbed it, and could easily assume it belonged to Scarlet Witch. It fit her loosely, but it was definitely warm and comfortable, also when she pulled up the hood, it covered her face fairly well. Clint threw on a hood of his own, since he didn't want any passersby to notice Hawkeye out and about. They left the Tower in a nice black car with tinted windows, most likely from Stark's infinite collection.

The car ride over to Perse's apartment was tense, the air stuffy. She looked out the window, not focusing on any detail in particular. She was trying to prepare herself for what was about to happen. The apartment would be empty, just like how it felt empty in this car ride. Would every room she walked into for the rest of her life feel like that? No matter where she went, the invisible weight of the death of her parents would follow her everywhere she went. Would she feel Jimena's ghost in the apartment? Did ghosts even exist? A part of her wished they did, so that maybe she could sense Jimena, but another part of her wished they didn't because she also didn't want to sense Jimena. Every option hurt her, because every option included the harsh reality that she was gone. That Al was gone. And currently, people think that Al killed Jimena. Hydra ruined his name and his legacy. She didn't understand why Hydra would go to that great length in implicating him for the murder instead of a robbery gone wrong. She didn't understand her own ties to Hydra. And she didn't want to ask Clint, since Perse had the tingling feeling he may know since he was able to find her.

When they pulled onto Perse's street, she noticed small lights in front of the building and objects on the ground with the lights. Clint parked the car, and pulled up his hood before exiting. Perse followed in suit. When they got close enough, she realized that the small lights were candles, and the objects were posters, pictures, teddy bears, note cards, all addressed to Jimena and Perse. But none for Al. Perse kneeled down in front of the erected memorial in her mother's honor and her own. They found the pictures from Facebook, or some personal ones here and there that the neighbors had. One thing that stood out the most to Perse was that there was a book hidden underneath a stuffed animal of a bunny. She picked up the soft bunny, holding it to her chest as she picked up the book with her other hand. It was a book on street art by Tristan Manco. On the inside, there was a date written in sharpie with initials next to it: 2008 C.L. Perse knew who the book was from despite no other note left on it. It was from Michelle, who probably got it at her favorite bookstore from the used section.

"Come on, kid." Clint said quietly, looking up and down the street to make sure no one was passing by. Perse got up, but kept the book and bunny with her. The bunny didn't seem to fit Michelle's style, so this one probably came from some other random person. She liked it though. The fur of the toy bunny was soft and light brown with a pink ribbon tied around its neck. Clint led them to the side of the building and went up the fire escape. Clint quietly jumped up using the wall and clambered up top while Perse easily floated up to the rung. He wanted to avoid anyone hear them go through the front door, so up the fire escape it was.

The window was locked, but Clint opened it easily with his spy tricks. Clint went through, entering into the small kitchen, and Perse followed after. She would always miss her bed when it had been a long time since being home. Or missed the welcoming AC. But she had missed the smell of the apartment this time. She inhaled, for some reason expecting to smell a rotting corpse, but instead she smelled the memories of movie nights, the occasional taco tuesday, sneaking out to do crime fighting.

"Don't forget to be quiet." He whispered, making his way into the living room.

Perse didn't move, though. The moonlight coming in the window cast long shadows, and the living room was filled with shadows. She had this irrational fear that Jimena's bloody body would pop up and stare at Perse, but they wouldn't be lively. Before Clint could turn around and notice the young girl, she made her legs go forward. She didn't look into the living room as she turned to the hallway that led to her room. She didn't bother looking into her parent's room that was left open. Her room was open, too, and it's always kept closed. When she stepped inside, she noticed small things in places they shouldn't be: her backpack on the wrong side of the bed, books stacked in a different order than she left them, closet left open. It was probably from detectives that were searching the house for clues or evidence. Her room didn't feel like her room anymore. It looked like it belonged to someone else.

Without making a sound, Perse grabbed her duffle that she kept under the bed and started packing. She packed all of her underwear, and most of her clothes. Grabbed her toiletries from the bathroom and packed that as well. It was like she was packing for a trip, except she wouldn't be coming back here. She packed all of her art equipment. She put in the bunny and book Michelle left. Perse wanted to pack all of her books, but she didn't have any room. There was one book she couldn't leave behind, though. She picked up her copy of _Invisible Man_ and set it on top before zipping up her duffle. She slung the duffle across her torso, and hesitated before walking out of the room. Her school bag. She picked it up.

Walking back towards the living room, this time she stopped at _their_ bedroom. She couldn't leave without taking some pieces of them with her. Perse went into the their closet and took Al's backpack that he bought for camping (and yet never ended up going camping) to put their stuff in. She gently put in the picture frames of them when they were young, and the recent ones of them all grown up, and the family photo of them at the courthouse after it became official. She started to cry again, but didn't break down, she pushed forward. She found a sweater of Al's that still smelled like him. Jimena's perfume. Al's gold chain. Jimena's old academy t-shirt that she got when she graduated to go into the force.

"Time to go." Clint stood at the doorway, startling Perse. He came in and grabbed the backpack of her parent's things along with the duffle so that she didn't have to carry the load. She still passed by the living room without a glance, too scared of what she might see although she knew there was nothing there now.

They got back in the car and left without sparing a second. Clint didn't want to spend any time longer than necessary in that area. He really liked the people there, too. He cast a glance over at Perse. He really liked her family.

Clint didn't drive them to the Tower, but instead got on the highway and drove up to the Compound that was two hours away with the little traffic. Even though they took down the little operation in Canada, it didn't mean that they got rid of the head of Hydra. Which begged the question, who was the head of Hydra? He knew that they would need to talk to Perse soon about everything that happened, but he wanted to hold off on it for as long as possible. She's just a kid.

The Avengers all knew to keep their distance at this point once the pair arrived to the Compound. Clint had the more established relationship, so he would take point on her. She would become his responsibility, which to the surprise of his teammates, he took on without complaint. Clint Barton has never been seen as the most responsible person in the team, so to see how he took care of Perse was a new side that no one had ever seen before–that is, except for Natasha Romanoff. Clint led Perse to a bare room with only a bed, nightstand, ceiling light, closet, and personal bathroom. No memories hung up on the walls of famous rappers and rock stars, of her best artwork, of the 7th grade spelling bee champion ribbon, of glowing stars on the ceiling, nor the crappy flower wall stickers that were peeling.

"Goodnight, kiddo." Clint sighed, not sure what else to say to Perse. There wasn't much that could be said, anyways. He set her things down against the wall and stepped back to the doorframe.

"What's gonna happen to me?" Perse asked quietly, clutching her school backpack straps tight. Clint didn't respond right away, which made Perse speak up with a more hardened tone. "What is going to happen to me." She wasn't asking again, but she knew the answer and was dreading. It always happened in the end.

"You're gonna lay low here for a bit until we know you're safe again." Clint responded.

"And after that?" Perse pushed.

"…You're gonna stay safe." Clint finally said. The past day, Perse had been quiet. So when she spoke up again, it was a stark contrast that it unnerved Clint (and he wasn't sure if that was because of Ava's outburst, or if her powers flared).

"Safe?! I'm going to stay safe? Nowhere is safe for me, I'm a _freak_!" She shouted. She didn't cry as she broke down again. She wasn't sad anymore; no, now she was pissed. "I had it! I had parents! I had a mom and dad, and they died before I could say that to them! They died thinking I was a normal kid! _They_ _were fucking murdered!_ I had a family." She had to take a pause, breathing heavily. Clint remained silent, not even making eye contact with Perse, which angered her more. "I'm not going back to the system." She said resolutely, turning her chin up.

"You're not going to the system." Clint said, and his words actually surprised Perse. She wasn't expecting that. "A friend of ours acted as your new social worker and the foster system thinks you've been placed with a new family." Was he actually alluding that this new "family" was the Avengers? What place did they have taking in a teenager? "I'll be the one taking care of you mostly, but everyone will take turns…they better, at least." He muttered the last part, but Perse still caught it.

"I already had a family." Perse said, turning away from Clint. These supers had super problems to deal with. Eventually, they wouldn't be able to take care of Perse anymore. And, quite frankly, Perse didn't want to be taken care of. She could hold her own. Could she?

Clint didn't say anything as he took the hint and left, closing the door on his way out. She was grieving, and would be for a long time. Not only had her parents died, but her whole world turned upside down. It's already difficult being a teenager trying to find their place in the world, and add on top of that having superpowers, but Perse was getting a handle on it. She felt like she had a path. But Hydra knocked her out of that path. She wanted to know what role Hydra played in her life, and she had a feeling that the memories of her childhood that she couldn't remember held the answers.

Midtown High was abuzz of the news of Persephone Perez. Everyone expected her to walk through the halls after hearing she was alive and well, but she was a no show. Peter and Ned sat inside the cafeteria, worried as to why she wasn't here. Michelle sat at the same table as them, but she remained her distance from them. She had been doing that for the past couple days, but never spoke a word to the boys. Michelle would deny it, but she needed the company. They wondered, did she change schools? Is she even in New York still? What was she feeling and thinking when her foster dad took her? Did she watch her foster mom die before her eyes? The news didn't release a lot of detail, so the teenagers of Midtown ran wild with rumors. Her true friends, however, just mainly hoped that no matter what happened, she was okay and safe.

Uncle Ben had walked Peter and Ned over to the memorial service that was held for Jimena Perez and Peter had brought one of his old stuffed animals from when he believed it would come to life like the Velveteen Rabbit to place in the crowd of candles and other gifts. Some people believed Perse was dead or sold to trafficking, two terrifying thoughts. And the guilt weighed down on Peter. Uncle Ben had said that it wasn't his fault, that there was no way he could have predicted what happened to Perse. But Peter couldn't help but feel responsible anyways. Uncle Ben told him he was too good for this world before placing an embarrassing kiss on his head. Peter and Ned noticed Michelle was there as well, all alone. They went and stood next to her. None of them said a word, just stood there staring into the apartment complex. Slowly, some other members of the students of Midtown stood with them as well. Flash. Liz. Cindy. Betty. Abe. No one said a word as well when Michelle shed a tear before walking off, leaving the event.

Perse was completely unaware of how much people had suddenly cared about a stranger. That's what she essentially was, after all. Everyone had only known her a week. There were some that didn't even know her name and felt sadness. These kids felt the pain for multiple reasons: for some, it was a fear that they could have been kidnapped, for others, a fear of knowing that life is fleeting, for a few, they instantly felt a connection towards a sweet, shy girl and couldn't believe something so horrible could happen to someone so good. Perse didn't know that girl anymore when she woke up the same morning everyone at Midtown High wondered when Persephone Perez would return to school.

Perse had fallen asleep wearing Al's sweater and woke up inhaling his scent. Then she remembered that he was framed for murder. She understood why the Avengers couldn't do much on their end without either exposing Perse's secret or implicating an innocent person to take the fall, but damn did she fucking hate it. Albert Perez deserved better than that.

She remained in the room, thinking about the wrongs in her life, until the growling in her stomach intensified along with the hunger cramps. She didn't eat a thing yesterday, despite Clint trying to have her to. Perse put on one of her own shirts, leaving Al's sweater on the unmade bed as she ventured out into the hallway. It was afternoon at this point, so she knew that she would run into someone at some point. She just wasn't looking forward to it. The end of the hallway led to an empty loft area and a large set of stairs, that which led towards what looked to be the living room or recreational area along with the kitchen. This whole side of the Compound had to be living quarters only, restricted access. It felt like a mansion, and the marble floors were cold on Perse's bare feet. But she didn't mind it.

It was surprising that no Captain America or Vision wandered by, or were casually sitting on the couch watching _The Real Housewives of Whatever_, but Perse wasn't complaining. She searched the fridge, which was packed with food. There were some meal preps, which were labeled off. This Perse found amusing. How cute that the Avengers participated in food trends, she thought to herself as she found the ingredients to make a simple sandwich.

As she built her sandwich, she thought about Delmar's. Would she be able to taste Delmar's again? She hoped her life weren't so changed. She hoped that even the little things weren't gone. She poured herself a glass of water and then sat on top of the island and began to eat her sandwich. It was a little dry, the bread sticking to the roof of her mouth and in between her teeth. She didn't put enough mayo. Oh, well.

"Oh." Perse heard a voice behind her say. "Good morning." She turned to see that it was Captain America, and she quickly got down from the island, slightly blushing but continued to chew and swallow her food.

"Sorry." She muttered, averting her gaze.

"No, it's okay." He smiled reassuringly, walking into the kitchen and making himself a bowl of cereal. Captain America liked Cheerios? Maybe he really _is_ an old man.

He sat down at the table, like a civilized human being, and tried his best at maintaining a conversation with a 14 year old girl. "How did you sleep?"

"Okay."

"I can't pretend to know exactly what you're going through, but I do know how it feels to lose your parents. I never met my dad, but my mom, she died of tuberculosis when I was 18. It's never easy. But time–"

"No offense, Mr. Rogers, but I can't think of how time will heal my wounds." Perse interrupted, getting upset again. She couldn't help it. She didn't mean to be rude towards _the_ Captain America, but she just didn't want to hear that bullshit.

"I was going to say that time doesn't dictate how you move on. One day you're going to feel okay and like things are better, and then the next it's all worse again. Just take it day by day." He intoned, correcting Perse's comment and knowing that he somewhat reached her.

"Okay." She nodded, finishing her sandwich as he continued to eat his cereal. The silence they shared now wasn't so awkward anymore, and Perse actually sat down at the table with him (although she was on the opposite end, Steve considered it progress).

"Why are you eating cereal now?" Perse asked suddenly. He stopped for a moment, mouth full of Cheerios and a small amount of milk spilling out of his mouth.

"Hm?"

"It's 1:00PM." She said, actually staring him in the eye now.

He finished the food in his mouth, almost looking ashamed now. "I slept in."

"Captain America sleeps in?" Perse questioned, incredulous. "I didn't know that was possible." At this, Steve laughed. "Do you eat a cake all to yourself sometimes, too?"

"Why would I eat a cake all to myself?" He asked, amused and confused by the strange comment.

"I don't know." She shrugged, taking a final bite out of her sandwich. "If you sleep in, then who knows what else you're capable of."

"He sleeps with a nightlight." Iron Man walked in, heading straight for the coffee maker and grabbing an apple. Perse couldn't help but be a little star struck again, seeing Tony Stark in the flesh.

"I do not." Steve sighed, sounding as if he's a dad tired of dealing with his overactive child.

"Here." Tony slid the newest Stark Phone over to Perse, which she took in her hands cautiously, as if it might break. Perse didn't really have her old phone anymore, it was taken and destroyed by Hydra so it made sense for Stark to issue her a new one. Except she didn't like that. Stark Phones are expensive, and yes, it's from the source himself, but she still didn't like being handed things like that.

"I'm trusting you to not leak any of our numbers online, okay? You do that and you sleep out in the doghouse." Tony said, pouring himself a steaming cup of coffee in a mug that had a picture of Bill Nye printed on it. Do they even have a dog? If so, Perse needed to be pointed in the direction of it.

"Tony." Steve scolded, picking up his now empty bowl and even being kind enough to pick up Perse's plate and cup as well.

"Thank you." She said, losing all of that fire she had earlier when they spoke. He smiled softly down at her as he walked off to the kitchen.

Tony and Steve struck up a conversation that Perse tuned out as she looked through her new Stark Phone. Sure enough, the contact list contained numbers to all of the Avengers (which she found strange that members of the Avengers had cell phone numbers, like normal people) and also another person named "Happy Hogan." Even though it wasn't the best thing to do, Perse logged onto her social media accounts and was surprised to see the messages left by strangers hoping for her to be found, a few saying RIP, and a recent one saying that they're glad she's alive. She wasn't sure how to feel about this. She even saw an old post of Michelle's where she had retweeted information on Perse when she was first taken. All of these people didn't know her, and they were acting so torn up about it (not including Michelle). They didn't really care about _her_, she knew that. There were even a few that called Al a monster. And that made her mad. She decided to search further on Al and saw all of the reports that he had snapped, that he was reportedly abusive. They were tarnishing his name! So the next thing that Perse did was stupid, but she didn't regret it. She sent out a tweet from her own account saying, "Albert Perez is innocent. JUSTICE FOR AL." Slowly, she started getting responses, people demanding to know what she meant by that and if her account was hacked, rumors started flying. She put the phone down, looking to Tony and Steve who were still unaware of what she just did, but knew that once they did, they would probably be none too happy.

Perse walked out of the room, slipping out undetected. She always had a natural talent for that. She would always manage to sneak up on Al and Jimena, even when she wasn't trying to. Looking back at those memories as she raced back to her room, she only felt even more resolute in making that tweet. Why should Perse only have the knowledge of the good side of Al?

"Kid! Get down here!" Tony shouted at the top of his lungs. It took three hours for the news to break out, which surprised Perse. She expected that the leading man in technology would find out about it a lot sooner.

She made it down the stairs and saw that Steve, Tony, and Clint were standing around the kitchen. Tony held up his own phone, shaking it as the post popped up on screen.

"Yeah?" She said, acting dumbfounded.

"I swear to _God_." Tony, rolled his eyes as he dropped his phone on the counter and clenched his fists. Teenagers and Tony didn't mix well. And that was probably because of the fact he acted like one a good number of times.

"I know it's hard, but you can't post that stuff. The case is closed, and we need to protect your identity. Honestly, you shouldn't be on social media at all until we take down whoever was behind taking you." Clint said, keeping calm and giving Perse puppy dog eyes.

"Taking me and killing my parents." Perse corrected. She felt the anger rise up again. Perse was never much of an angry person before, but again, that was _before._ "And then, framed my father for murdering my mother and kidnapping me. I'm not gonna shout from the rooftops that it was Hydra, but I'm sure as hell not going to go along with this! I will _never_ say that it was Al!"

Tony stood there, letting out a deep breath. Steve looked to him, making sure he hadn't blown a gasket.

"We're just trying to keep you safe." Steve reasoned.

"Okay!" Tony said loudly, catching Steve and Clint by surprise. "We shouldn't have ever expected you to go along with that, it's fucked up. _But_, you cannot tell _anyone_ that it was Hydra, or tell anyone the truth about yourself."

Perse laughed humorlessly, looking down at her hands. "Don't worry, Mr. Stark. I can't tell people what I don't know." Which meant, she didn't _know_ what the truth was. Steve seemed lost, and Tony a bit too, but Clint understood completely.

"Come with me, kid." Clint scratched at his five o'clock shadow, seeming uncomfortable. He hated confrontations, hated emotions, vulnerability. He walked out towards the balcony that overlooked the lake and Perse followed after, sensing Clint's apprehension.

The view was beautiful. The sunlight glittered on the little ripples made from the light breeze. The lush forest up ahead and then great grass field to the side gave this place total isolation, but in a good way. Like what Thoreau spoke of in his poems.

"Five years ago, I was assigned along with Nat for a rescue op. Someone tipped off to SHIELD of a base out in the middle of nowhere in Canada experimenting on people, on kids. They tried to track down who was behind it, but the shell corporations led to nowhere. They sent in the two best field agents of their time," at this Perse rolled her eyes, "And we infiltrated the base. They managed to wipe out all of their hard drives and burn any files. We didn't know then it was Hydra, but we should have.

"We start trying to look for the prisoners, wearing stolen outfits from a couple guards we knocked out. We found two bodies; we were losing hope. But then, we came into a room where this little girl was…lashing out. With strange tendrils coming out of her body. I had never felt more terrified in my life until that day. But I saw that the other guards were going to kill her, so Nat and I acted quickly. And the little girl was passed out now, but she was still having this affect on us. We managed to get her out. This little girl, she had no identity. We tried to figure out who she was, but there was nothing. It was like she didn't exist. Someone other agent was supposed to be in charge of taking her to a group home. But Nat took it upon herself. She wanted to make sure the girl wouldn't be found again. That _you _wouldn't be found again."

"I named you Persephone Kosmos." Natasha appeared from behind Clint and Perse, startling the young girl. Black Widow was just as deadly-looking in person as she was on the TV. Perse admired the superhero, especially considering that she was the first woman in the Avengers that had a mysterious past and badass look.

Hearing the words shocked Perse. She always thought whoever her birth parents were left her with the name Persephone Kosmos. That despite leaving her in the hands of the system, they at least armed her with a name that could one day tie her to them. But then she met the Perez's and all of that changed. She didn't care about being tied to her birth parents anymore, not when she finally found a family. Still, learning that Hydra had experimented on her…not knowing if she was in the foster system beforehand or if they stole her from her parents or if her parents were evil Hydra scientists–she would never know her history. And her name wasn't her birth name. She didn't expect that to hurt, but it did because she now lost all sense of her identity. She was reeling.

"Why?" Perse asked, her grey eyes glowing for just a moment. Her emotions were running extremely high, and the past week has proved that when they do, she loses control of powers.

Nat nodded at Clint, and he understood that she meant to take a hike. He retreated back into the Compound as Natasha approached Perse and leaned against the railing. The redhead didn't look at Perse as she spoke.

"I don't know. I guess I have a thing for great legends." She shrugged, looking at the lake.

"Persephone? She's held prisoner by Hades. That's what you wanted me to live up to?" Perse scoffed, which made Natasha smile.

"Yeah. A lot of stories depict her being kidnapped and forced to live with Hades. He saw her and took her, but allowed her to leave the Underworld for a portion of time that we now call Spring. Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, Queen of the Underworld. A strong, beautiful, resilient woman. She was taken into the darkness and yet the light still burned bright in her." Natasha responded. In some ways, it was literal. Her powers literally represents this with her midnight skin and plasma energy but her eyes glowed a bright blue. Natasha saw that when she first came across the little girl, and named her Persephone. She also hoped that like the strength she saw in the Greek goddess, Perse would hear her name and feel that strength course through her veins.

"And why Kosmos?" Perse questioned.

"Sounded badass." Natasha smirked, finally giving her eye contact. What Nat didn't say was that Perse was one of a kind, that when she saw her tiny little body trying to fight off Hydra all on her own while strapped down and having her memory wiped, she contained the power of the universe.

Perse smiled back, and looked back towards the Compound where Tony had disappeared as quickly as he came in, but Steve and Clint still remained inside.

"I saw what you posted online." Natasha brought up. "Also heard what Tony said." Where the hell was Natasha hiding during that conversation, Perse questioned in her head. Oh, right. Spy, duh. "Al deserves justice. And someday, he'll get it. I promise. But not now. We want you to stay alive. Hydra already has a big target on your back, if you try to expose them, that target will get even bigger and they won't hesitate to cut their losses and kill you. Also Hydra obviously had someone in the force if they managed to falsify evidence and write up a fake report. One day, you'll go back and clear his name."

Perse nodded, wiping away a stray tear. Al will get justice.

**AN: Perse now knows her history with Hydra and now we know where her name came from as well! I hope you liked! Thank you all for the new views, follows, and favorites! I appreciate all of you :)**

**Incorrect quote coming in hot:**

**Perse: I'm gonna play a song for you right now.**

**Perse: It's called "my life so far"**

**Perse: *Takes a deep breath, and plays a chord***

**Perse: *SCREAMS***

**(via incorrectstarkfamilyquotes)**


	7. I Prefer the View From Up Here

**AN: If anyone is wondering, the chapter title is from Captain Marvel (except she says "there" instead of here). Also, remember when I teased Dr. Whitehall, Dr. List, and Gideon Malick? Well, if anyone remembers, Dr. List is killed off in Age in Ultron. And if anyone watches Agents of SHIELD, Whitehall and Gideon Malick meet their end in the show BUT I won't follow that route. They are alive (except for Whitehall, he stays dead) and the current heads of Hydra in my AU. Also, I want to make clear that Clint and Nat don't know Al used to work as one of the scientists at the base, so therefore Perse still doesn't know. But that will come up eventually. Enjoy this chapter!**

_Shadows settle on the place, that you left_

_Our minds are troubled by the emptiness_

_Destroy the middle, it's a waste of time_

_From the perfect start to the finish line_

_And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones_

_'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs_

_Setting fire to our insides for fun_

_Collecting names of the lovers that went wrong_

–"_Youth" by Daughter_

Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff were off on mission. They had found a lead on who was behind the science experiments all those years ago. So, what did Perse do in the meantime? Homework. It seems that it was decided by everybody (excluding her) that she would eventually return to school when she was (more or less) ready. A part of her wished that she would be transferred to a new school, but she knew that no matter where she went, the news of what happened to her would follow her. Maybe she could persuade to be homeschooled, it's not like Stark didn't have the money for it.

"Why do I have to do this?" Perse whined to Steve, who had brought up to her room one morning a large stack of all the lessons, in-class assignments, and homework she has missed in the past week. A week had passed now. That felt strange.

"Because we want you to be caught up by the time you go back." Steve said, amused. He was constantly amused by this 14 year old girl, and he couldn't explain why.

"…What if I don't go back?" Perse finally brought up, glancing up at Steve.

Steve gave her a pointed look. "Perse, we went over this–"

"I know, I know." Perse sighed, pursing her lips. "I just. I'm not looking forward to everyone gawking at me."

"It'll pass. Trust me, the attention span of teenagers is very short. They'll move on to something else to gawk about. Like the Kardashians."

"Kardashians? You know who the Kardashians are?" Perse said bewildered.

"You know, I've been kicking it in the 21st century since 2012." Steve argued, rolling his eyes. Everyone still regarded him as a grandpa, and in many ways he did feel like one, but did everyone had to be so shocked that he had picked up on some pop culture and news since he woke up from the ice?

"I see you've been trying to pick up the slang, too." Perse laughed at Steve. That was strange too. Here Perse was, in the Avengers Compound, making fun of Captain America. This was her new normal.

But Perse didn't mind this new normal. It was the weirdest thing in the world, definitely, but she didn't mind it. She could get used to this (although it will take time for the shock factor to go away). But then she remembered the cost it took to get here.

Ever since Perse had posted that tweet about Al, rumors ran rampant that it was aliens that abducted her, that it was a local cartel, that the government was hiding her, and one that made Perse laugh which was the evil Avengers had something to do with it. She ended up taking down her Twitter, deciding it was probably for the best. She decided to listen to Tony and agree that in order to keep herself alive, she couldn't risk exposing the truth. For now. But she did keep her Instagram for the sole purpose of reaching out to Michelle's countless messages she had left. She could only imagine how much more she had left on her old cell phone. They exchanged numbers and had only texted a few times the past week, all really for Michelle to tell her the latest gossip about Perse and something that happened in Decathlon that annoyed her to death. Michelle never once asked her what happened, and for that, Perse was extremely grateful for.

She still had nightmares almost every night of Al and Jimena, and of the base. She still couldn't remember what happened there when she was young, so her imagination ran wild with what could have happened there. But today was the first morning where she woke up and it didn't take her hours to get out of bed. Usually, she would lay there, staring off into nothing. Today, she could function for once. Their deaths still loomed over her, everything a constant reminder that they were gone, but she got up without having to force herself. She brushed her teeth. She took a shower. Put on a change of clothes. All without having to be reminded by Tony's AI, FRIDAY. So, in face of this triumph, Steve thought it was the day to give her all of this work. She hated him just a little bit for that.

"If you need any help with this stuff…don't ask me." Steve smiled, leaving the door wide open. The door was usually closed, and normally, Perse would have groaned loudly so that Steve could hear her annoyance at him leaving the door open. But she left it that way.

"FRIDAY, open the windows, please." Perse said, rubbing her face. She really didn't want to do all of this work.

"Of course, miss." The Irish-voiced AI responded. The windows had a tint that could let up or completely black out, which was pretty cool. She always had a slight tint to them, not wanting any sunlight to disturb her sleep-ins. But now, the windows were completely tintless and they opened. Fresh air. She breathed in, picked up a pencil, and got to work.

Tony was deeply concentrated on a new prototype for his suit in his lab, blasting classic rock so loud that he didn't hear Perse come in and sit down at one of the tables. She was stuck on an algebra problem, which she was usually good at, but she was a visual learner. Perse was afraid to ask Tony, but he was the only person at the Compound she felt comfortable enough to ask. Wanda was training, Steve already made clear he wasn't good at schoolwork, Colonel Rhodes hadn't been at the Compound since Perse first came there, same for Sam Wilson, Natasha and Clint were still out on their mission, and Vision just plain creeped Perse out. So Tony it was.

The table she sat at was cluttered with random metal pieces that she assumed was parts to his suit. They weren't colored in their infamous gold and red hue yet, just a plain hunk of metal. But some of them had intense wiring, which she examined. Perse was never good at mechanics, but she wanted to be. She actually planned on taking the class at Midtown after her first semester of PE was over.

"Ah, put that down!" Tony exclaimed, shouting over the music. His abruptness startled Perse into dropping one of the scraps on the table, making it clatter. "FRIDAY, pause music." The music stopped playing and the billionaire made his way over to Perse's table while the latter blushed furiously in embarrassment. He picked up the metal scrap, examining it. It didn't have a dent or scratch, he just wanted to mess with the kid. He took it a step further by tossing it in the trash bin. She started at the trash and then at him, mouth agape. "It was on old part, didn't need it." He shrugged. "What do you want?"

Perse swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, slightly irked that he had messed with her and made her feel like she was in trouble, but relieved that it was only a joke. Now, she felt embarrassed for the sole purpose that was coming to Tony Stark for homework help. She didn't have a chance to speak up as he saw the textbook and notebook she had placed on top of the table.

"'X' is 17. 'Y' is 19." He responded, working out the problem in under a second.

"Uh. H-How?" Perse asked, looking back down at the math problem.

"Easy." He said, bending down and snatching Perse's pencil as he wrote down the step by step work of the problem. His writing was chicken scratch, but she could still make it out.

"Oh." She said once he finished. She looked it over and yeah, it made sense. "So this carries over, and that cancels out?"

"Exactly." He grinned, actually seeming impressed by the girl to be able to pick it up just by watching him do it once. "You know, I don't usually let people down here while I'm working. But I'll make an exception for you." At this, Perse grinned back before going back her homework. Tony resumed his music, Led Zeppelin filling up the lab. She actually liked Led Zeppelin, so she didn't mind, and the music didn't distract her from her work. Every now and then she would ask for his help, and he would quickly spew out the answer or show her by writing on his holotable since he became too lazy to walk over to where she sat.

Once Perse finished her algebra homework, she walked over towards Tony and watched him work on something on his holotable. It seemed like a blueprint, with equations scrawled in one corner and sloppy designs of the suit all over the place. Now The Doors' "Roadhouse Blues" played over the speakers, a personal favorite of Perse's. Al could play the piano. Mrs. Harrison next door had one, and once in a blue moon Al would play and everyone in the hall would have their doors open to hear him play. Whenever he played Roadhouse Blues, Mr. Harrison would bust out his harmonica. Everyone else would sing the words. Jimena and Perse would dance, twirling around the room and hall. And then Jimena would lift Perse up into the air and she would look over and see Al looking over at them fondly, finishing the final chords of the song.

"Boss, Ms. Romanoff and Mr. Barton are landing." FRIDAY spoke up, quieting the volume of the music as she spoke.

Tony glanced over at Perse for a moment before turning off the holotable and getting up. Anxiety bubbled up within Perse. She hoped that the mission went well. That they caught the bad guys. Perse never feared that Hydra would come, they wouldn't dare go after the Avengers in their home turf. She feared that once she stepped out of the safe confines of Avengers protection, they would pounce. They were hiding, with teeth bared and claws sharpened. She felt like the bunny that she slept with every night now. She used to feel powerful, carefree. But now Hydra had a grip on her, and she didn't know how to breathe. She never expressed these feelings to anyone, just kept it buried inside.

They walked out of the lab and headed to another portion of the Compound that Perse hadn't ventured into since she came in: the front where Avenger's operations and business took place. She stuck to the upper floors of the back of the Compound which is where most of the Avengers resided if they weren't at the Tower, in mission, or whatever else they did. Wanda, Steve, Vision filed in, with Nat and Clint coming in last. Wanda and Steve were dressed in athletic wear, the former with wisps of hair stuck to her forehead from sweating and the latter's upper lip with a thin layer of sweat. Vision had no cape on, like she had seen in the news before. But he was still very much red and green. And had emotions. Whenever Wanda and Vision were in the same room, she could sense his apprehension. His existence was very confusing and Perse's biology teacher, Mr. Thompson said that they would spend a small unit on covering the mysteries of AIs and alien biology.

"So Gideon Malick is untouchable." Clint sighed, plopping down on one of the rolly chairs. Perse noted that a part of his left eyebrow was singed off, and so was the edges of his hair. Natasha was more graceful in sitting down, and she seemed unharmed.

"He has the president in his back pocket and a whole outfit of ATCU guards with him 24/7." Natasha explained, bringing up a file on the screen in the conference room for everyone to see. There was a picture of Gideon Malick, the first time that Perse has ever seen this picture, but she couldn't shake the sense of deja-vu. There were also general information about his career history, about the Advanced Threat Containment Unit, or the ATCU, that was a (militant and violent in Perse's opinion) group that dealt with the recent discovery of InHumans.

InHumans was a new bag of crazy altogether, press releases indicating that they were a half human, half ancient alien race with powers that somehow manifested when they ingested anything with fish products. Large parts of the world had currently banned fish, fish oils, seaweed, and literally anything that came from the ocean in attempts to contain "outbreak" of InHumans.

"But, me being amazing, I hacked into his email." Nat smirked, pulling up a window to see that she did in fact have access to his email. "There's nothing incriminating here at a first glance, he's too smart for that. But he's been in contact with someone named 'Williamson' and the emails are definitely in a code." She pulled up the said emails, and she was right, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. They were casual emails, asking about each other's wives and speaking of random topics such as food or movies. But the more that Perse looked at them, she did notice they were a little off. For one, when they spoke of their wives, they would misspell their names; Anna would become Anne. And one time when they said May but added an "e" at the end.

"I miss Anne deeply, but I will see her soon." Perse whispered. But every other time, he spells it Anna. _We saw the 5 o'clock showing of Amnesia _another part of the email read. Her blood ran cold. _I will see her soon_.

"It's about me." Perse spoke up. Natasha quirked an eyebrow, wanting to know how the young girl was so sure. Everyone shared the same sentiment as they stared at her expectantly. She blushed at the attention, but continued. "Before I escaped from my cell, an agent had called me E-5."

"So Anne is you." Natasha clarified, nodding. She caught on that the "e" in Anne meant Perse. "And the movie he saw may mean that they know you still don't remember your time at the base when you were young."

"It could also be code that he'll be in France." Tony said, on his phone. He pulled up a small window on the screen of the movie Amnesia, a French movie that was recently released.

"Is there anything else you remember?" Natasha asked.

"When they took me, they mentioned a Whitehall and Malick. One asked if I was worth the trouble. And then I don't remember anything else because they knocked me out. And then when I woke up in the cell, the guy spoke into a walkie saying that 'E-5 was still sleeping.' And…and said something about me being their salvation. But he said it as a joke." Perse didn't mention how she had also seen the carving of the word, "Vee" into the wall. She wanted to keep that to herself.

"Salvation." Natasha muttered. That sounded familiar. "FRIDAY, cross reference 'salvation' with any old Hydra operations." When Natasha had internet dumped all of the SHIELD (and Hydra) files, everyone had access to SHIELD's dirty laundry, but also to Hydra's. Sure enough, something came up. It was a redacted file, but a base in Canada and having ten experiments came up in the remaining revealed words. The title on the top was Project Salvation.

"Do we have any headway on this Whitehall and List?" Steve asked, shifting uncomfortably. He didn't like being reminded that this poor girl was subjected to untold torture. In fact everyone was, but the only one who understood was Wanda. Wanda Maximoff had agreed to the experiments. That's what set her and Perse apart.

"Whitehall was a man named Werner Reinhardt, born in 1904. He was a member of Hydra, but was never apprehended. Decades pass and suddenly, Daniel Whitehall is born." Vision spoke up next, leading the conference now. "I have done extensive searching, and nothing explains how Reinhardt survived all of these years without aging."

"Maybe he was stuck under some ice, too." Tony supplied, making Steve give him a deadpan look.

"It seems unlikely unless his body underwent the same procedures as Mr. Rogers to be able to undergo suspended animation and survive." Vision said, the joke going completely over his head. "Also, sightings of Whitehall have been nonexistent since last week. I'm to believe that he is in hiding after we attacked the Canadian base."

"Everyone's favorite doctor has been in hiding since Sokovia." Tony spoke up. Perse didn't miss how Wanda's fist clenched at the mention of List. "We still don't know if List has a connection with Beelzebub, here, but considering he's one of the heads of Hydra and worked alongside Whitehall with powered experiments, there's no doubt that he was involved in this Project Salvation and trying to take Persephone back."

"You're not Beelzebub." Steve quickly said, but Perse wasn't in the least bit offended. In fact, she found it funny and clever.

"Okay, Nat keep an eye out for everything Malick and List. Something is bound to come up in those emails that will give us more information." Steve concluded the meeting.

Everyone dispersed, save for Perse and Clint. The banged up man got up and sat down next to the young girl. She fiddled with the ends of her hair, processing the information from the meeting. _I will see her soon._

"Hey, kid." He grinned, and Perse couldn't help but laugh. He really did look banged up. "Come with me to the med bay." She complied and they walked out together, not saying a word to each other but still in a comfortable silence.

Once they got to the med bay, Clint opened up the cabinets to find the burn cream, antiseptic, gauze, medical tape, and aspirin. He took three aspirin and handed Perse a wooden stick and the burn cream.

"So, how did you burn yourself?" Perse inquired, started to apply the cream to Clint's eyebrow and forehead.

"Oh, we don't gotta go into that." Clint brushed off, although he continued to speak, "I mean. Lasers may or may not have been involved, not a big deal."

Perse hummed in response as Clint took his shirt (wincing all the while) and turned around so that Perse could apply cream to a burn mark on his back that was thin and long, like he had touched against a laser.

"Why would air vents have lasers anyways? I didn't think that was possible!" He continued, as Perse stifled a giggle. She finished putting cream on his burns and then he turned back around and took the bottle from Perse and handed her the antiseptic instead. This she put on the cuts he had on his face and arms.

"And this?" She asked, pointing to rather nasty cut.

"Like I said. Air vents." He huffed. She imagined in her head that after the lasers activated and he burned himself, he hastily tried escaping and got caught in the grates. She hadn't known Clint for long, but that seemed like the most likely scenario.

Clint put the gauze on his cuts himself, thanking Perse. She only nodded in response, looking around the room as he put his shirt back on and put everything back where it belonged.

"So, I know you're starting to get comfortable here," Clint started, gaining the girl's attention back, "But how would it sound if we move you to the Tower? And then you can start going back to school next week."

Perse's eyes widened. Back to the city? Back to school? Already? Hydra was still out there, what if they nabbed her? All of the possibilities of danger crept up on Perse, and for a moment, she accidentally directed her powers against herself. Tears sprang up in her eyes as they glowed and she let out a cry. The glow in her eyes faded and returned back to their natural grey hue. Clint wanted to embrace her, but it's been well established that it's best not to do that when she uses her powers. She sat down on the floor, feeling the cool ground on her fingertips. Trying to get a grasp back on reality.

"Sorry–I. I lost control for a second there." Perse got out, trying to calm herself down.

"It's okay," He soothed, crouching down to her level, "_You're_ okay. We would never let anything happen to you. Listen, kid, you may seem very alone in all of this, but you're not. Because I get it, okay? I'm in my 30s and some days I wake up a mess. But I still get up. Just like you have been doing. You're safe with us."

Perse nodded, now looking away from Clint's piercing blue eyes. She wondered what Clint had gone through in the past for him to empathize with Perse, but she knew better than to look into his fears. She could never invade a friend's privacy like that. At that moment, she felt relieved. Because it felt nice to not feel lonely. Perse never had a problem being alone, but being lonely, this was a feeling that she hadn't visited since her days bouncing from foster home to foster home. And maybe going back to the city is what she needed. She missed the life there, she missed being able to fly around (although the Avengers might not want her roaming around by herself). And a part of her missed school, but it was only because she missed Michelle.

"Okay." She said, and got up on her own.

"We wouldn't let you go back to school if we even _think_ there's a risk to it. We'll get them soon." Clint promised, latching an arm around Perse's shoulder as they walked out of the med bay. She leaned into him, grateful for the contact and comfort.

"Thank you." She whispered, before leaving his embrace and walking ahead. Clint didn't respond, just smiled because he was glad that he truly got through to her.

A few days had passed since the conference meeting and Perse was preparing to leave the Compound and move into the Tower. It was decided that today would be the day because Natasha had found List and Malick. She left along with Clint and Sam to go after them and invade their offices and arrest everyone on sight. If anyone tried to shooting, well, Natasha called that fair game if a few got _really_ hurt in kind. Truthfully, Natasha didn't care about seeing them behind bars, being dished out with justice. They could drop dead and she wouldn't bat an eye. As long as they didn't continue to roam the Earth terrorizing innocents, terrorizing _children_.

Perse still managed to get out of bed with the heavy weight of Jimena and Al on top of her, but this morning, it didn't feel so heavy. She still had nightmares, but when she woke up, she thought of a good memory instead. Usually, she would reflect back on all of the ugly she had seen the past week, nearly two now, but this morning she thought of the barbeque that Clint had hosted. Seeing her dad do those god-awful dance moves as everyone laughed and joined along. The memory felt bittersweet, but it was more sweet than bitter, and that was enough for Perse to feel…excited. She felt like she could brace the day.

In the past couple days, she managed to be all caught up in her work (which was definitely boring, but she did have long days to do the lessons and complete the assignments). She started out doing her schoolwork in her room, but after a couple hours, would make her way over to the dining table or to the small loft area that was adjacent to Tony's lab. Most days, Tony wasn't even in the lab, he would be back in the city. She didn't completely know what Tony did though, especially because his ex-girlfriend was the CEO of Stark Industries, so she did most of the work while he paraded around doing whatever Tony Stark does. That had to be awkward, she thought to herself, working with your ex.

Perse venturing out of her room also meant interacting with the Avengers more. She took a quick liking to Wanda, who was 18, so it was nice to be around someone that close in age to her. Wanda respected Perse's boundaries, she knew what topics to avoid, and when Perse needed quiet time. Sometimes, she would help her cook dinner (which, Wanda is a phenomenal cook much to Perse's pleasure) or watch her train. Perse also got used to Walking Siri, and found that he sometimes had a sense of humor. She taught him about slang and intonation, so that he could pick up on other people's humor and sarcasm better. He was very knowledgeable, being an AI and all, so Perse liked to ask him complicated questions like equations or the explanation of a theory and hear him give out a lecture. Sam Wilson had returned from D.C. the other day and walked in on Vision pretty much giving a lesson on thermodynamics as Perse listened attentively, even writing down notes. Steve was sitting over in the dining room, just staring blankly at Vision and Perse, unable to understand or retain _any_ of the information.

"Ready, Beelze?" Tony came up to Perse's room, putting his shades down to the tip of his nose as he peaked over them. He had taken to calling her after the demon.

"Yeah." She said. She had her hair up in a low bun, wearing a long sleeve and leggings. Tony picked up her duffle while she picked up her two backpacks. She looked back to the bare room, and all she wanted was to stay here. The Compound was like a fantasy; it was literally an isolated space, so in her mind, she didn't have to think about any of her real problems. But she was tired of that. She accepted that her parents are dead. Now, she has to accept that she needs to continue living. "Yeah, I'm ready."

They headed out to the front entrance of the Compound where a black SUV with tinted windows was running and waiting for them. A man came out of the driver's seat, rushing to grab Perse's things from her and putting them in the trunk.

"Beelze, meet Happy." Tony grinned, which Perse couldn't understand why. What Perse didn't know yet, was that Happy is the funniest guy on Earth. Not because he told jokes, though.

"I was having a great time in the sun in LA." He grumbled, shutting the trunk shut. "I agreed to do this because you promised me a raise."

"And I delivered, didn't I?" Tony said, getting into the driver's side now.

"Only to be your glorified _chauffeur_ again!" He exclaimed, getting into the passenger seat. Perse got into the back seat, having to clamber a bit because it was high up. She stifled her laughter as the two continued to banter. I'm willing to bet that Tony gave him the name "Happy," she thought to herself as the car skidded because Stark started hauling ass.

They got to the city in record timing, but no one can get around the city traffic. They got to the Tower two hours later, passing through the security checkpoint and pulling into the underground garage. Once they got out of the car, Perse marveled at the car collection in here. Hot rods, sleek race cars, and a few motorcycles, one of them a Harley Davidson.

"That one there is Cap's." Tony nodded, still wearing his stupid shades. Perse did a double take, looking up to Tony incredulously. "Really! He likes to live a little every once in a while."

Perse laughed, and before Happy could take her things and lug them upstairs with bitter remarks, she beat him to it.

"I got it, Happy, thank you." She smiled, trying to get on his good side (if he even had one).

"You're a sweetheart." He actually smiled down at her, but gave Tony a nasty look. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Thanks, Happs." Tony grinned, although he said it less sincerely. He liked to pull Happy's leg.

When they made it to the elevator, FRIDAY's voice came through again, welcoming everyone back inside the Tower. Tony pushed the button to the 69th floor, the upper level of the building, where they came to an empty hallway. Then, a door, which had to be accessed with a retinal scan.

"Up you go." Tony said, leading her forward. "Gotta put you in the system."

She opened her eye real wide, which made Tony chuckle, and the scan was not pleasant because it was a bright light shining in that momentarily blinded her.

"Name?" FRIDAY spoke.

"Uh. Perse?" She responded.

"Welcome, Perse." The AI said, and then the door slided open and they walked through. To another elevator. Perse looked to Tony, wondering why.

"Added security measure." Tony rolled his eyes, looking to Happy.

"You won't be rolling your eyes when someone tries to break in and can't get to you guys." Happy said, wagging a finger.

"Yeah, sure, of course." Tony nodded, but turned and gave Perse a wink.

Tony pressed the button for the 80th floor. They went up quickly and at the ding, came to another door.

"If this is another security measure…" Perse muttered, but Tony heard and laughed. Tony walked ahead and opened the door to reveal what looked to be a living room. She stepped inside and saw that there was also a kitchenette and a large open doorway that led into what looked to be the bedroom. "Holy shit."

"Language." Tony interjected quickly, although he wasn't really serious, but it still made Perse blush and break a sweat at the "scolding."

"Sorry. Is this…?" Perse asked, doing a spin and taking the whole room in.

"Yup." Tony smiled, popping the "p," "This whole floor is yours. If you go up to the 81st, is the lounge area, with the kitchen and dining room. And party room." He grinned. "The nine floors below are also residential, floor 68 to 66 is the training facility. You like?"

"Y-Yeah." She managed to get out, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. "I think this place is bigger than my apartment!" And it was, without a doubt. And it was all Perse's?

"Well, we'll let you settle in." Tony clapped his hands and started backing out of the room, where Happy was already out and waiting at the elevator, which just then opened to let the men in. "If you need anything, bother Happy."

"What?" Happy said, about to protest, but the elevator closed on the men before he could say anything and Perse was now truly alone. Perse sat down on the white couch, which was extremely comfortable. The coffee table in front of her was metal, and had coasters, a remote, and a decorative display of fake flowers in a red vase. To her left was the large window that took up the wall, letting in all of the natural light. Behind her, the kitchenette that was complete with a regular sized fridge, a countertop, cabinets, microwave, sink, and a mini dishwasher. In front of her was the large flat-screen TV and to the right of the glorious TV, led towards the bedroom and bathroom. Everything was so spaced out, the place really was her own apartment. But out of everything in this room, Perse couldn't stop staring at the large flat screen TV, even though nothing was playing.

"Miss, would you like to watch TV?" FRIDAY spoke, which startled Perse out of her reverie.

"Uh. Sure." She said, and immediately the TV turned on to Keeping Up With the Kardashians. "Can I play something else?"

"Of course. We have every channel available, as well as On Demand, and all streaming services. You may browse with the remote." FRIDAY replied.

"Oh." She said quietly, and picked up the remote that was on the coffee table. It was a sleek remote, with the Stark logo on the upper corner. She started channel surfing, and finally stopped on the Discovery channel. Why not.

While a documentary about Arctic life played, she got up and started getting situated into the room. The walls were the same color as in the living room area, an off-white color mixed with light grey or maybe light green, it was hard for Perse to tell. The bedroom had a king sized bed with a dark gray duvet, fluffy light grey pillows, with a metal bed frame, two nightstands on both sides, a light that could be dimmed and brightened, a lamplight on one of the nightstands, a dresser that was long width-wise and black in color, a walk in closet with plenty of unnecessary shoe space, and the large window that overlooked the city, but like the one in the Compound, could be blacked out. She started unpacking, putting her clothes into hangers and drawers. Her clothes barely took up any space. In fact, everything she owned barely took up any space. The three picture frames on top of the nightstand. _Invisible Man _and her street art book from Michelle resting inside the nightstand drawer. Her art kit in the other nightstand drawer.

Her bathroom was right across from the bedroom and matched the same modern and minimalistic style as everything else: the off-white walls, shades of dark gray and black. The countertops and sinks were black marble, the floors limestone tiles. The cabinets were a black glass with gold trimming. A separate tub and shower. She put her shampoo and conditioner on the ledge in the shower, admiring how she could only reach from end to end by doing a near-split. She was worried that the toilet would be one of those fancy ones that lit up and cleaned _down there_, but she was relieved to see that it was a normal toilet.

Stepping back out, she sat back down on the couch and sent out a message to Michelle, telling her about her new abode (while of course not saying it resided inside the Avengers Tower). She knew that Tony or Clint would have disapproved, but she needed to tell _someone_ about everything–even though she couldn't tell the whole truth. She didn't think she could ever feel the same happiness she used to feel with Al and Jimena, but she would be lying if she said she didn't like the view from up here.

**AN: Next chapter up so soon! I start my summer classes soon, but I'm going to enjoy this tiny break in between semesters.**

**Now a quote from one of the best shows ever, The Office:**

**Clint: Isn't depression just a fancy word for feeling 'bummed out'?**

**Perse: Clint, you ignorant slut.**


	8. The Growing Shadows on the Ground

**AN: Thank you, Intertwined Thread! I really appreciate your kind words :)**

**Ronnie.H! This has taken me too long to respond, I'm sorry! But YES! I loved Raven too, and didn't even think of the similarities until I read your review (subconsciously, I must have done something here lol). And I'm glad you liked the twist, I wasn't sure how people would feel about Al being Hydra, and we'll definitely see more later in the story about his Hydra involvement and Perse's history. Thank you for enjoying my story :)**

**Also, I like to do this thing where I create playlists for my characters that both reflect the story and also what would be on their own playlists. So if anyone is interested, I could post a song each chapter or something? **

**Without further ado, here is Chapter 8! **

"_You get a strange feeling when you're about to leave a place. Like you'll not only miss the people you love but you'll miss the person you are now at this time and this place because you'll never be this way ever again."_

–_Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran_

Perse jolted up from her bed in a cold sweat. She clenched onto the duvet, eyes darting around the room. Everything was still, quiet. The night sky still painted the sky outside the window, dawn hadn't even broken through yet. Flashes of Jimena's dead eyes and the thick blood oozing out of her body, then the ambulance fiasco, then making her way out of the base, all kept playing in her mind. She couldn't remember the nightmare anymore, but the fear of it remained nonetheless. The time on her phone read 4:45AM. There would be no point in trying to go back to sleep, she knew she would just be tossing and turning for hours.

She got up, throwing on a sweater over her tank top to combat the chill that crept up once she left the warmth of her bed. Padding softly over to the kitchenette, she inspected the fridge to find that nothing was stocked in here yet. Groaning, she knew it meant having to go up to the Avengers recreational area. She hadn't explored much of the Tower since she had moved in yesterday, but she did visit upstairs. It was grand and modern and open–it left her in awe. In this moment, however, she was just too lazy to have to walk around. But her stomach was growling now at the prospect of getting food, so she had no choice.

The lights in the rec room turned on to a gentle dim, not glaring.

"Thanks, FRIDAY." Perse said, stifling a yawn.

"Of course, boss." She responded.

She wished that she had remembered to put on socks since the floors here were tile and not the soft carpeting in her room, but it was too late now. One distinct difference between the fridge here and the one in the Compound was that this one was barely stocked with anything. There was leftover Chinese takeout (definitely more than a day old since it was there yesterday as well), beer, a single slice of bread, shredded cheese, water, and Pepto Bismol. Perse opted for the takeout. She took the small carton of chow mein and decided to not even bother heating it up.

Devouring the noodles, she stepped out towards the balcony. The air was chilly and blew her hair every which way. It was extremely relaxing. Especially to sit over the ledge and peer down towards the ground. To see the lights stretch on until it suddenly stopped at the "end of the world" (really that's where the shoreline was) until the lights continued again where the different boroughs resided. Over in the distance, there was Queens, a little less than an hour away. Where her old life resided, and where she would have to slip back into soon. She slowed her eating as she tried to work out in her mind how she would be able to take on Midtown High after everything. How could she pretend that everything was normal? Maybe, the answer was that she shouldn't pretend. If everyone would see her as the mopey girl who lost her foster parents, then so be it. Those people didn't matter, anyways.

Finishing off the chow mein, Perse sighed and got back up and headed back inside to throw away the carton and clean off the fork. She couldn't stop looking back out to the balcony, the same space where Iron Man would enter and exit this skyscraper. She couldn't stop thinking about how she had once leapt off of this very skyscraper. Perse realized that she hadn't ventured out of the Avengers' protection, not once. She hadn't given herself a night of exploring and fighting crime since before everything happened. She missed it.

"I won't be gone long…" She muttered to herself, trying to provide reason to herself. And she wouldn't do anything, either. Just a quick fly around. That's all.

Perse stepped back outside and walked out towards the ledge. She wasn't even wearing shoes or pants. Just blue plaid pajama shorts and a grey sweater. No one would see her, anyways.

"Fuck it." She said, and stepped forward to the air. She let herself fall and stretched her arms out.

Slowly, she transformed and became the night. Once she was twenty feet from the ground, she let her flight take over and soared up. Perse twirled, did loops, let herself fall before flying again, spinned, and even let her energy flow so that she seemed like a bird. God, this was invigorating. She missed this.

She landed on a random building and let herself take a breather. Enough time had passed that the sun started coming up. She wished she had brought her phone to take a picture of the beautiful sunrise, but she also knew that it wouldn't go over well if she dropped it and accidentally killed someone. The purples, pinks, oranges, blues were so vibrant, especially against the clouds. Perse wanted to fly up to the clouds one day, but she was always scared of getting too high and then passing out. But, one day, she'll have her head in the clouds. For now, she flew back to the Tower and landed gently on the small landing strip meant for Iron Man.

A certain red head was sitting in a high rise chair in the kitchen, waiting expectantly for Perse. The young girl froze, afraid of the trouble she would face. Surprisingly, though, Natasha Romanoff didn't seem pissed off and didn't raise her voice at Perse. Instead, she told Perse something that made her cry.

"Malick has been apprehended by authorities for shady weapons back-dealings and the selling of government information to known enemies of the United States, and to having known ties with terrorist organization, Hydra." She said, handing Perse a folder of the mission report. Black Widow had gone on another missing the day prior without Perse knowing and infiltrated the ATCU headquarters, managing to bug Malick's office with a fancy new Stark tech that made it virtually impossible to detect. "Dr. List on the other hand," Natasha paused as Perse turned to another page to see a confirmed certificate of death from Paris, along with a photo taken from the autopsy report and the report itself (although it was in French, so she couldn't understand what had happened to him). "Cyanide poisoning. He must of known that we were after him."

Perse let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as the tears flowed down. She felt like a heavy blanket finally fell from her back, but something still didn't sit right with her. She was officially safe now, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't. Being in survival mode can do that to someone, having the constant fear of being watched by the predator. The fear of the pounce, even if it would never come.

"Oh." Perse said so softly, Nat could barely hear her. She put the file down, hands slightly shaking. Justice was served. Right? At least, she knew that it was. That they didn't get to have happy endings either. They didn't get away with their sins. Except it didn't feel that way.

"You're safe now." Natasha said, knowing that it was something Perse needed to hear out loud. Perse wiped away her tears, finally calming down. "You're safe."

"There's no food here." Perse finally spoke, clearing her throat.

"What?" Nat said, tilting her head.

"This place is like a teenager left alone for the week." She said, changing the topic.

Nat glanced at the time on the stove. 5:50 AM. "It's time for Happy to wake up, anyways." Perse laughed at that, amused how it wasn't just a Tony-thing to bother the poor guy.

The past two days, groceries were ordered and brought up to the Tower, enough to fill up the ginormous fridge. Perse didn't even know that was possible, to have groceries brought to her, but it was. A good amount was what she picked out like cereal, pasta, meat, snacks, juice, lunch meat, bread, etc. Things she knew she could use herself to make meals out of. Some of it went into her personal fridge like some TV dinners and items to make a sandwich and cereal. The rest all went to the fridge and pantry in the rec room. When Tony emerged from his penthouse (which was actually directly above the rec room), he didn't even notice all of the food, just immediately went to his Keurig and made a big steaming cup of Joe.

Natasha stayed to brief Tony on what happened and to observe Perse. The older woman sometimes couldn't believe that this was the same little sickly girl she found in that base. A great guilt weighed on Nat. She felt like she had failed in protecting Persephone, but now that she was under the Avengers' wing, she wouldn't make that same mistake again. She wouldn't go back to the system, that proved to be faulty. Even though the heads of Hydra were gone, Natasha (and Clint) didn't want to take any risks. And in the short amount of time she was under their care, she grew on them. Perse had a very quiet demeanour, but could also take up space. She was very expressive even when she didn't talk, she laughed loudly, and despite having every right to curl up into a ball and never get back up again, she still stood tall.

Now, Tony was down in the lower levels, attending to Stark business while Nat and Perse remained in the rec room. Natasha pretended to be reading a book in Russian while Perse sat in the dining table and did some reading for English that the class would currently be working on. Perse's mind was definitely still reeling over the news of Malick and List, and would sometimes have to reread a passage because she would lose complete concentration. She was safe now. _I will see her soon_. No, it's over now! Perse reminded herself in her head. _I'm safe now_.

Her phone vibrated and Perse checked to see that it was a message from Michelle.

_MJ: Reminder that Decathlon is today after school. _

_MJ: I don't really care if you don't show up, but Harrington is annoying me about letting you know since you've already missed a meeting._

_MJ: Oh yeah, and you're alternate._

Perse bit her lip. It was agreed this morning that Perse would return to school the following Monday. Which she felt prepared for, at least academically speaking. Mentally, well, that was another thing altogether. The past two weeks, nearly three now, she spent all of her time pent up inside. Yesterday was the first time that she actually roamed free, and it was intoxicating. So, a part of her wanted to go for the sake of being someplace that wasn't the Compound and Tower, but another part of her was scared. Everyone would treat her differently. But Michelle wouldn't, she reminded herself. Seeing Michelle would be really nice. And as indifferent as Michelle acted, Perse knew that she missed her too. And going to Decathlon, focusing on practicing for competition, would be a nice distraction from Malick and List right about now.

_Perse: I'll be there._

Perse looked over to Nat, who was concentrated on her book (although, not really). She was afraid to disturb the former assassin, but she felt like she should probably ask for permission. Tentatively, she spoke up to gain the woman's attention.

"H-Hey, Ms. Romanoff? I mean, Natasha." Perse immediately corrected. She remembered that Natasha didn't like being called Ms. Romanoff. "I-I have this thing. Academic Decathlon." She gulped, and then said the next words in quick succession. "IwaswonderingifIcouldgoit'sjustthatImissedsomuchalreadyandIwasplacedasanalternatebecauseImissedmychanceof–"

"Let me stop you right there." Natasha cut in, interrupting the now-blushing girl. "You're in Academic Decathlon?"

Perse nodded wordlessly, blushing even more at Natasha's judgemental face before it broke into a smirk.

"Nerd." She said, going back to her reading. "FRIDAY, let Happy know that he needs to drop Perse off at her school."

"Of course, Miss." FRIDAY responded right away.

"I'll go get ready." Perse got of her seat, rushing to the elevator. "Thank you, Nat."

Perse didn't see as she got into the elevator that Natasha was watching her with a soft look on her face as she left.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Perse ran into her room and took a quick shower. I'll just be ripping off the band-aid, Perse told herself, fighting off the jitters. Although, what if this was a bad idea? No, this could be like a trial-run for the first day. A smaller setting, see what happens. If it's hell, then she'll lock herself in her room and refuse to ever come out. All these thoughts ran through her head as she put on fresh clothes and tied her hair up into a bun since she didn't have enough time to bother with properly washing and styling it. Shoving her feet into her Converse, apple in her mouth, she bounded back towards the elevator. It dinged open and revealed Natasha with a blank face, but eyes that glittered with amusement, as she held a phone in her hand.

"You forgot this." Natasha said. Perse took it and put it in her back pocket.

"Thanks." She said through bites of her apple, looking like a nervous wreck.

Natasha pressed the button for the "security" floor, sparing a glance towards the girl before looking straight ahead. "You don't have to go if you're not ready, you know."

"I know. But I won't be ready Monday either. And I think I need some normal. I need to try, at least." She said, and Natasha understood.

Natasha walked Perse all the way down to the garage, where a slightly irked Happy was (im)patiently waiting next to the black SUV.

"Alright, let's get goin'." Happy sighed, opening the door for Perse. She finished the last of her apple and tossed in a bin before she got in the car wordlessly, looking back at Natasha who stood off to the side. She said something to Happy, but Perse couldn't make it out.

Happy got in the car and he quickly exited out of the garage, past security, and out into the street. Happy drove like a madman. Perse gripped onto the seat, eyes wide and lips pursed. Cars occasionally honked, and the tires would screech. "Jesus." She muttered, trying to stay calm. They made it to the school in nearly thirty minutes, although it should have taken almost up to an hour.

"What time does your nerd club end?" Happy questioned, glancing at the rearview mirror.

"Well. Now we're early to school." Perse nervously looked out. The school still had twenty minutes left before final bell. Her palms and armpits started to sweat. Why did Happy have to drive like an efficient mad man? "In an hour and a half. Can I wait in the car?"

"What?" He took his shades off now, and turned around to face Perse.

"School's not out yet." Perse said.

"You really–you really want me to stay here until school's over so that _you_ can stay in here?" Happy clarified, and Perse nodded in response. "Okay." He sighed, pulling out from the side of the road and pulling into a parking spot.

The pair didn't speak the whole twenty minutes. Happy played a game on his phone while Perse did the same on her own. Perse appreciated that Happy stayed, because he could very well have told her to get out and high tailed it out of there. He acted tough, but he was a big softie.

The bell eventually rang and kids quickly poured out. Happy paused his game and remained still for a moment, waiting for Perse to get out. But this was still too much. Everyone needed to clear out.

"Bell rang." Happy said, starting his car.

"Yup."

"Get out now." He said. It was harsh, but he meant it in a way of tough love. She needed to rip off the band aid. When she didn't make a move to exit, Happy said exasperated, "You fought Hydra agents, for God's sake! They're just a bunch of idiot, hormonal losers."

Perse whipped her head at Happy so fast. The fear still remained in her heart, but she was startled by Happy's words. He was right. She fought _Hydra_. Hydra shot at her, and she fought against them regardless. And yet, she was still more scared of teenagers. Rip off the band aid, Perse reminded herself. She took a deep breath and finally unbuckled her seat and then quickly got out of the car. As soon as she did, Happy pulled out of the spot (a kid had to nearly jump out of the way) and made his way out of the school.

Students continued to file out, but no one recognized her. She was so stressed, that her eyes started to faintly glow and everyone felt too uneasy to look towards Perse's direction, but not scared enough to take notice and look. She didn't even realize she was doing it until she saw the very tips of her fingers slightly darken and small wisps of energy come out. She probably should have stopped, but she liked that her powers were inadvertently helping her right now. She brought the hood to her hoodie up and shoved her hands into the pocket of them as she walked forward towards the school. Most of the kids were already gone now, a few stragglers wandering the halls now. A few looked at her, and some didn't recognize her, but others instantly did. She could hear the whispers, but ignored them and just quickened her pace. God, maybe this was a bad idea. She was starting to hyperventilate.

No one but Mr. Harrington was inside his classroom yet. The meeting didn't start for another ten minutes, and Perse was glad that she at least didn't have to face anyone yet. The stares, the whispers, maybe even a bold comment or question. Rip the band aid off, she told herself again.

"Persephone." Mr. Harrington said, pushing his glasses up and getting up out of his seat. Ah, and here are the pity eyes. "You're here. You know, I just told Michelle to let you know, but I've come to quickly learn how she can be–" He started to ramble, feeling bad that she came to school just for a _Decathlon meeting_.

"It's okay, Mr. Harrington. I wanted to come." Perse said, cutting Mr. Harrington off before he reached a point not being able to shut up. He didn't seem entirely convinced, so she gave him a tight lipped smile.

"Okay." He breathed, smiling wide and sitting back down. "Here, this is what you've missed." He handed her a booklet of sample questions and went over with her what was already covered and let her know what she could focus on in her free time.

Slowly, students filed in, and Perse could hear the conversations end when they noticed that it was Perse sitting with Mr. Harrington. She ignored it, and decided to continue to listen to Mr. Harrington. He noticed how awkward the air was too, but pushed on for Perse's sake. God, this wasn't going _terribly_, but it wasn't going _great_ either. She was regretting this. But she was here now, she can't run out now. That would make things worse. But would it?

Once Mr. H was done with his rundown, Perse nodded her head, thanked him, got up, and moved to the very back of the room. She kept her eyes downcast and fought to not use her powers. Now wouldn't be good to use them when everyone already had their attention on her. She sat at the last table in the back, alone. She noticed that Peter and Ned were here, but were sat more up ahead. The boys glanced back at her, but quickly looked away when Perse glanced back. She wanted to go back to that last day.

"Hey, loser." Michelle sat down next to Perse, and suddenly most of her tension dissipated. Michelle looked like she hadn't slept in days, and knowing her, she easily could have done that. Michelle was a mixed bag, and anything goes with her.

"Hi." Perse whispered, giving Michelle a small smile. Michelle returned the smile, and it was genuine. She didn't say anything, but Perse knew that smile meant, "Glad you're okay."

The club started with the captain, Sheila Everwood, going over information and reminders to turn in payments by the next meeting. Then, everyone went into groups of three to study and practice. Michelle and Perse started on their work, both hoping that no one would come up to them, but lo and behold…

"Hi, do you guys mind if I join?" A boy said, with dark red hair, bright blue eyes behind glasses, and a dimple on his left cheek.

"Yes." Michelle responded in a bored tone, not looking up while Perse simultaneously said, "No." The boy decided to listen to Perse and smiled, sitting across from the girls.

"I'm Harry, by the way." He said, opening his own booklet.

"Perse." She responded, slightly blushing. "This is Michelle." Michelle flashed her fingers as a way of saying hi, but continued to actually focus on the booklet, trying to study.

"I feel like I should say sorry," He began, Perse furrowing her brows, "I'm the one that snagged the final spot from you."

"Oh." She said. "That's okay." It truly wasn't a big deal to Perse either. She didn't care much if she made it onto the team or was just an alternate. Perse was more focused on the freckles on his cheeks and nose, and that dimple.

Harry continued to talk to her, trying to get Perse out of her awkward shell. For the most part, he succeeded. Everyone continued to spare glances at Perse, noticing the tight lipped smiles she would occasionally give to Harry. Betty gave a disgusted look, probably disturbed at seeing a girl smile when she had dead foster parents. Flash looked annoyed, probably because it wasn't him receiving attention. Peter on the other hand, looked a bit sad. He willed for Perse to spare her another glance like before the meeting started, but she was focused on Harry Osborn. But then, all of a sudden, grey eyes locked onto brown eyes.

Perse wasn't consciously doing it, she just looked away for a moment, and suddenly she was locking eyes with Peter Parker. His warm brown eyes stared back and they were like that for long enough to know that they were intentionally staring at each other, but short enough that Perse was already looking back to Harry and listening to him talk about some of the English questions in the sample questions. And then it turned into a conversation about books, which quirked even Michelle's interest, although the strange girl still remained observant.

The meeting ended sooner than it was supposed to, and everyone lingered to watch Perse. She sighed, knowing that they were curious to see more of the girl that was kidnapped and nearly murdered (by her foster parent, since that's all they were able to know).

"If you guys took a picture, it would last longer." Michelle said loudly before being the first to leave the room, and everyone else muttered apologies.

Perse smiled after her friend appreciatively, but also spoke up as well. "Let's just get it out now." _Rip off the band aid…right?_

"What did you mean about your tweet?" Ned spoke up quickly, to which everyone shot daggers with their eyes at him. Peter even smacked his arm. "Sorry."

Perse stopped breathing. It wasn't the worst question she imagined to hear. But she didn't know how to answer. Tony _did_ say that she didn't have didn't have to go along with the slander to Al's name.

"I meant what I meant." She finally said, some eyes widening and wondering what the hell _that _meant. Wondering what this girl knew about her foster parent's death. "And that's it! We're moving on now." She breathed, fighting back the blush, but she was definitely breaking a sweat now. This was the boldest Perse has ever been as herself. As Shadow, she was like this and more, but as herself, she was always timid and quiet. It kind of felt good to be bold.

Everyone filed out at that, some whispering like Betty to Sheila. Harry passed by and gave Perse a reassuring smile, to which she returned. She ignored the butterflies in her stomach. Once she got out into the hallway, Flash even ran up. Perse didn't know if she could deal with Flash.

"Hey, listen. I just want to say I'm sorry." He said, looking truly sincere, which took Perse aback. "I shouldn't have said those things to you. So. Yeah I'm sorry." Flash didn't look so much like a douche when he wasn't acting like one. He looked like an actual, nice kid.

"Thank you." Perse said, putting her hands in the pocket of her hoodie. Flash then walked off, heading towards the front of the school.

Perse continued to walk towards the side exit absentmindedly. She thought about the kindness of Harry, and how in all of the time during that meeting, he never brought up her dead foster parents. And then Perse paused in her steps as she opened the door to outside. She realized where she was going. She walked outside and took in the cold air. She stared up at the sky, the clouds, and the buildings. Without realizing, Perse was walking back home. She was walking back as if Al was at home waiting for her and Jimena was about to end her morning shift at the station.

The wind was knocked out of Perse as she faltered in her steps. It's not like she forgot they died; it's just. Her legs carried her over, her body yearned to go back home. She had done so well in Mr. Harrington's classroom. She took control of the situation. Now, the rug was swept from under her. All because she subconsciously started walking back home.

"Perse? You okay?" Peter walked up, coming from the school. He looked at her with big, concerned eyes. God, she felt _sort-of_ okay five seconds ago, but now this was going downhill fast.

"Yeah." She breathed, fighting back tears. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Do you still live nearby?" Peter asked, carefully inching forward. Like she was a wild rabbit that might bounce at any second.

"Uh. No. I'm in Manhattan now." She said. "I'm waiting on my ride."

"Oh." He said awkwardly, but made no move to walk off and head home. He stood a few feet away from her, and Perse had calmed down by now to be aware of the fact. But Perse being Perse, she didn't know how to ask him, "Why are you still here?" So she instead opted for sharing the awkward silence as well.

"So," Peter spoke up again, breaking the silence and avoidance of eye contact, "What time is your ride supposed to be here?"

"Not for another twenty minutes or so." She said, fiddling with a loose thread on her shirt.

"Have you ever had a sandwich from Delmar's?" He asked, head slightly tilted.

Perse involuntarily grinned. Delmar's sounded _amazing_. "Yeah."

Delmar's was only a ten minute walk, but it honestly felt like only a minute had passed. The tension went away at the icebreaker of Parker bringing up the convenience shop and they fell into a conversation on makes a great sandwich and other meals that they enjoyed.

"I think noodles are important to society." Peter mused. "So many different cultures have noodles as a part of their dishes. Italian. Thai. Chinese. All so delicious."

"So you're saying if Earth had a global dish, it would be pasta? Not chicken, or fish?" Perse countered.

"Well, there are vegans in the world, we should be considerate about them." Peter defended, resolute in his pasta declaration.

"And you're forgetting about rice. That's in literally nearly every single culture all over the world." Perse smirked, knowing she had Peter beat when he just rolled his eyes and said pasta was still better.

Then, their conversation shifted into their favorite pastimes, going over art. She listened as Peter rambled on about saving up to buy a proper camera so that he could learn photography and the different projects he had in mind that he wanted to execute once he got one. Perse never felt so relaxed in the past two weeks until today. Today, it felt like everything was still okay. They weren't, but it was nice to still be able to smile, to laugh, to talk about anything other than Hydra or her dead parents. And moreover, she felt _safe_. Perse was walking the streets of New York and didn't feel like she was being followed. Now, that wasn't to say she wasn't paranoid, because she was. She would occasionally feel out with her powers or turn her head around to make sure. But she recognized that that was paranoia, and not coming from a place where she felt in danger.

"Do you follow Brandon Stanton? He's the guy that runs Humans of New York. He interviewed my Uncle Ben a long time ago." Peter said, now developing a small bounce in his step. "I think what he does is so cool and original. I mean, what he does isn't _new_, but it's the _way_ that he does it, I guess."

"No, I get it." Perse nodded, smiling shyly. "He keeps it real because it's never about him. He gives people a voice and we get a real glimpse into their lives. No photoshop, no filters, no edits. It's real."

"Yeah. Exactly." He grinned, glad that she understood.

They made it to Delmar's and greeted the shop owner. Mr. Delmar noticed that it was Perse who came in, and then came the pity eyes and soft voice.

"Hey, Persephone. I'm glad to see you're back." He smiled, and then shouted behind the counter in Spanish for Perse's sandwich to be made. "Don't worry about paying. On the house."

"Thank you, Mr. Delmar." Perse said, although she did hate that she was getting special treatment.

"But you, " Delmar's sweetness dropped as he turned to Peter. "You get full price."

"What?!" Peter exclaimed, thrown back by the shop owner's coldness. "Why?"

"Because I saw you smile at Elena last week, that's why." He said, giving Peter a pointed look. "You be careful." Elena is Delmar's daughter, who is a year older than Peter and Perse, but went to the public school nearby instead of Midtown. She worked at the register some nights, and truly is a pretty sight with her sleek black hair and hazel eyes.

"I was being _nice._ Come on, Mr. Delmar." Peter pleaded, although it wasn't annoying. Usually, Perse found pleading annoying. But when Peter did it, it was charming.

Delmar sighed, and looked back to Perse. "This is your friend?" Woah, that was a loaded question. To the normal person, it wasn't, but Perse, it definitely made her pause and stutter for a second.

"Uh. Y-yeah. He is." She nodded, blushing slightly. Peter looked to Perse for a moment before smiling back to Delmar.

"Only for today because I like her." He said, and said Peter's order in Spanish to his coworker.

"Oh, and flatten the bread, please." Peter said, smiling even bigger at the satisfaction of Delmar giving in to him.

Once they got their sandwiches and bid Delmar a good day, Perse and Peter walked out of the shop. Peter started walking back in the direction of the school, and Perse followed after, although a bit confused.

"Do you live this way?" She asked before taking a big bite out of her sandwich. Cuban sandwich with extra pickles.

"No, I live that way." He replied, pointing at the opposite direction. He took a bite of his sandwich and wiped away a small bit of mustard that smeared at the corner of his lip using his sleeve.

"You don't have to walk me back to school, you know." Perse said quickly, although she said this with a full mouth.

"No, I want to." Peter said back, mouth full. "I don't mind." He then took a moment to swallow his food. "Really." There was a determined look in his eye that Perse didn't pick up on. He never wanted to have Perse walk alone again. They barely knew each other, but he already cared about her wellbeing. He reasoned that he would do the same for anyone. And Peter would, but there was still that small feeling in the pit of his stomach he couldn't shake away or explain. And, they were friends now.

"Okay." She mumbled, looking down at her sandwich. Secretly, she was pleased to still be in his company. As isolated as she felt from most people, Perse hadn't realized that she felt comfort in the presence of her fellow students at school. She didn't realize that she needed people like Michelle or today, Harry and Peter, to help her feel calm.

They walked back to the school in silence, eating away at their meal. Just as Perse barely stepped foot on the campus, her phone went off. The caller ID read "Happy Hogan."

"Oh, I think my ride is here." Perse announced, finishing the last bite. "Thank you, Peter, for the sandwich and the walk."

His cheeks reddened as well as some of his neck. "Yeah, no problem." Perse started to walk off, answering the call, but Peter spoke up again. "Does this mean you're back?"

Perse already had the phone up to her ear, hearing Happy announce that Perse better high tail it to the car before he runs over a kid (purposefully) and muttering something about hating teenagers. She spinned around, looking at Peter. "Yeah." She smiled. "I'll see you Monday."

Peter smiled back, before turning around and walking back the way that they came.

"_Who were you talking to?"_ Happy asked, although it sounded more like an interrogation.

"Not everything and everyone is a potential security breach, you know." Perse replied snarkily. Maybe Tony was already starting to rub off on her.

As Perse started heading to the front of the school, she missed the man that had been tailing her ever since she left the Tower. He wasn't dressed in all black like a spy. He wasn't an amateur. And he wasn't afraid, because he knew what he was doing. Perse remained completely unaware the whole time, including the walk to Delmar's where they even briefly made eye contact, but she wasn't really paying attention.

The man walked away, calling his employer to say that the plan would go into motion soon.

**AN: Hope you guys enjoyed some fluff! And now we're seeing a slightly new Perse, who is slowly becoming more confident and confrontational. She doesn't want her parents death to hang over her and reek, and she's desperate for some normalcy after everything that has happened so she's trying to do whatever it takes to accomplish that. **

**And yes, I will be keeping Harry Osborn in my story, he wasn't just a little easter egg! I love Ned, so he will NOT be replaced as Peter's bestie because I love their relationship and Jacob Batalon. But I wanted to include Harry so badly. He will not be like Rami's Harry, nor Webb's. I will mostly base him off of everything else where he's portrayed as a more kinder and softer guy, and if anyone knows his story in the comics, I don't know if I'll end up going that route…**

**Incorrect quote from one of the best shows ever, psych:**

**News report: Shadow here is a hero**

**Clint: I'm sure any of us would have done the same in her place.**

**Nat: No, we wouldn't. Remember when you saw that accident and then you pretended to be blind?**

**ANOTHER ONE (From an Amy Poehler interview), although this is more of like a moodboard than an incorrect quote lol:**

"**I FLUSHED MY PHONE DOWN THE TOILET!": Clint**

"**Get me some gloves, I'm gonna look in the toilet": Steve**

"**You know, maybe it's in your bag": Natasha**

"**I need a new phone, too": Tony**

"**Y'all, this is my worst nightmare": Perse**


	9. I Hope You Feel Better!

**AN: I just wanted to say thank you so much for the follows and favorites! It continues to warm my heart :)**

**ALSO, I don't think anyone cares really (but I do!) but in Chapter 4, I say how Ned shares Gym and Spanish with Perse. I meant English instead of Spanish, which isn't a big deal, but it is a typo and I did want to clarify that regardless no one caring lol.**

**Just to let you guys know, I start my summer classes this week so I might not post as regularly and in my other story, Mercury, I decided to do a hiatus. I won't be doing that with this though! I'll try to post at least once a week or roughly around there. But just so you guys know, if it takes me a little longer, that's why. **

"_But what other people thought was no longer of any help to me. Those thoughts only existed within certain structures, and I had definitively left those structures."_

–_Rachel Cusk_

Today was Perse's day back to school, and Happy was in charge of getting her there. He was extra grouchy for being up this early in the morning, because Perse insisted. She hated being late to anything, so she made Happy get up two hours before school started. To make up for it, she made him breakfast, which shut him up until they got to the car and he started complaining again.

"I was head of security, you know." Happy said, for the hundredth time. "I was promised a promotion, not to be babysitter. Shouldn't Clint be taking you to school? He's the one in charge of you."

"I don't think it would be safe to see Hawkeye dropping off a 14 year old girl who was recently in the news because her parents were murdered." Perse responded, not even looking up from her phone.

Clint had yet to come to the Tower. All that Natasha had said before she left back to the Compound was that he was off on a mission. She couldn't help but be slightly worried and also annoyed for being left in the dark.

"Also, what would be a step up from head of security?" She questioned.

"Babysitting, apparently." He retorted.

"I wonder what would happen if I gave you a Snickers." Perse said, making Happy fight back a laugh. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction.

Perse continued to be on her phone, because she was busy sending posts to Peter, like the one of a man narrating same-day delivery while driving a semi in Grand Theft Auto. Since Thursday, they had been texting somewhat frequently, but most of their interactions consisted of sending each other posts on Instagram. She enjoyed this form of communication, since it was like they were oddly having a conversation. Through memes. She knew that Happy could never see this because if he did, an aneurysm would burst at not being able to comprehend. He gave her "get off my lawn" vibes.

They got to the school twenty minutes early. Again, Perse did not know how Happy was able to manage that, but he did. He quickly gave her the boot and raced back onto the street.

There were already a good number of students at school, and not as many giving her looks as she expected. But she wasn't as scared this time since she already faced Midtown last Thursday. While she wasn't as scared, she definitely was a little anxious still. She didn't want to message Michelle or Peter or Ned and say that she was already at school and in need of company, she didn't want to come off as needy. So, instead, she roamed around until she found a secluded enough area in the school and sat in the hallway with her face buried in _Invisible Man._ She had read this book more than three times at this point, but she couldn't find herself to part with it. Maybe it was because the book resonated that strongly with her. Or maybe it was because the book was one of the last ties she had to Al. It was one of the very few instances that Al ever brought up his past, it was always a touchy subject for him. She felt like this book shined a light into a part of him she didn't know, and would now never get the chance to.

"Mind if I sit with you?" Perse heard from above. She looked up to see that it was Harry from Decathlon, wearing a dark green button up with blue washed jeans. He dressed very dapper and dorkily at the same time, but he pulled it off.

"Uh, yeah." Perse responded, setting her book aside. Harry plopped himself down next to Perse, but still gave enough room for personal space.

"What book was that?" He inquired, trying to strike up friendly conversation.

"Oh, _Invisible Man._" She said while presenting him the book. "It's about racism and its effect in America, set in the 50s. A part of the story takes place in Harlem, too. It's a really good read." She felt like she was ranting, even though she wasn't, and so left it at that.

"Sounds good, and if you like it, then I would bet it's worth the read." He replied, making Perse blush at the compliment.

"Thanks. Y-You can borrow it if you want. I've already read it three times." She said sheepishly.

"Thanks! I'd love to read it." Harry smiled wide, his dimple showing. He held onto the book, but maintained his attention on Perse. "What else do you like to read?"

"Well," She said, pushing back a strand of hair while trying to think, "I don't know. I pick up whatever sounds good to me. Lately, I've been reading more older books. During the summer, I read a lot of Fitzgerald and Plath."

"Ah, some whimsical and depressive stories. Always a good bet." He said, making Perse laugh. "I like Plath, too. I've only read _The Bell Jar_, but."

"Well, that one alone is enough to like her." Perse encouraged, to which Harry agreed with.

They continued to talk about books, like they had during the Decathlon meeting, until the bell rang. It was extremely nice, and after a while, the initial awkwardness that Perse felt kind of washed away. Harry was extremely kind and it was easy to fall into a conversation with him, but a large contribution to that was because he was good at leading the conversation.

"Well, thank you for the book again. I promise to keep it in perfect condition." Harry said as they got up to get ready to part ways.

"Oh, that's greatly appreciated, but I don't care if you dog ear or break the spine in a bit." She shrugged. Harry looked a little horrified, and questioned why a fellow book lover would not care about maintaining a good condition of the book. "Well, a book in perfect condition is like a new house, barely moved into. But over time, pictures are added on the wall, report cards are on the fridge, crayons might be on a wall somewhere, scratches on a door frame with numbers next to it. If a house didn't have any of those qualities, it wouldn't be a home. I like books where they were someone's home, those ones tell more than one story. Like my copy of _Invisible Man_ is a used copy. There's even an inscription on the front from the original owner. He had some passages highlighted too. I like that."

This response seemed to give Harry a new perspective he never had before. A look crossed his face, like awe, at Perse. But it completely went over her head.

"Right." He said, nodding. "That makes sense. I like that."

"See ya." Perse smiled, and Harry returned the goodbye. She walked off to head to her first period, but Harry couldn't help but spare another glance her way as she turned a corner before looking back down to the book.

Perse got to class with a minute to spare before the final bell. Perse wordlessly handed in all of the missing work to Ms. Holloway, before she went and sat in the back, next to Ned. She was pretty sure that he made sure no one else sat in the seat since Peter had probably told Ned that Perse would return to school on Monday. She tried her best to ignore some of the stares she got, even the pity eyes from Ms. Holloway.

"Hey, Perse!" Ned greeted warmly, which helped ease some of the tension in Perse's body. In that moment, she did stop caring about the stares and whispers, and she became extremely grateful that she had people in her corner today. She realized then, that Harry's kindness probably stemmed from that reason. He wanted to make sure she felt normal on her day back. And here was Ned, doing the same. Except Ned, eager and overly talkative, sometimes asked questions or said things that regular people wouldn't dare to ask like when he next said, "How have you been holding up since, you know…" He leaned in, whispering, "The aliens?" But Perse kind of liked that about Ned, because he was treating her like he would with anyone, not walking around on eggshells with her.

"The what?" Perse asked, flabbergasted and amused.

"Some kids thinks it's _aliens_. And I mean, once upon a time, I would have laughed in their face and said 'as cool as it would be for aliens to be real, we don't know if they exist so it doesn't seem possible,' but now we _know _that aliens are real–"

"Alright, class," Ms. Holloway started, and all conversations in the class gradually ceased. She continued on with her lesson, and Perse spared a look at Ned, shaking her head as a way of saying, "No, Ned, it wasn't aliens," but she couldn't be sure if he knew that's what she meant, or if he thought she was responding to his question of whether she was okay after her abduction by aliens.

At the bell, Ned immediately turned to Perse as they collected their things and started to walk out of class together. "So, it wasn't aliens?" He asked, making sure.

"No, Ned." Perse laughed, "I'll see you at lunch."

They parted ways, a smile still on Perse's lips because of Ned as she walked to her next class. Perse turned in all of her work to Mr. Bronn as well, who thankfully didn't say "sorry for your loss" and just thanked Perse for staying on top of her work. Class started and dragged on for forever. Perse already knew today's lesson, and for the next couple days as well. (It got _really_ boring at the Tower.) Instead, her mind started drifting off into daydreams. At first, she thought about what she should eat when she got out of school. Then she thought about how Tony promised her he would let her start patrolling the city again, but not without some rules and restrictions. That stayed in her mind for the rest of the lesson.

"Okay, kid. I know you like roaming around and sniffing for trouble, but no more." Tony declared the other day after dinner. It was the first night that they actually had dinner together, which Perse realized the only reason why was to have this talk. "I even know you left the Tower that one morning."

"But–"

"Ah, I'm talking. Of course I would know, I'm Tony Stark and this is my building.

"Anyways, I will _allow_ you to do your cute little crime fighting, but not without some modifications and rules." He got up and lead Perse to the lab.

Perse's jaw dropped to the ground when Tony presented her a _suit_! It looked a bit frumpy, though, as Perse examined the all black suit.

"Try it on. Bathroom's over there." He said, pointing out towards the hallway.

She walked over, holding the soft material in her hands. It was also pretty thick as well, and she wondered what it was made of. There were slits of blue that ran along the suit, and looser fabric along the top. She noticed that over the chest, was a blue star (she noticed it resembled the one in Peter Pan). Once in the bathroom, she got out of her clothes and put on the suit. It was _way_ too big. She thought Tony Stark would be better at making suits.

"Double tap the star." Tony called from outside.

Perse did so, and watched in the mirror as the suit conformed to her body. It looked _sick_! The dark blue ran along the sides of her body, and the star on her chest faintly glowed. She pulled up the loose fabric to her face and it slightly tightened automatically so that it stayed up, covering half of her face from the bridge of her nose and down. She hadn't even transformed yet, and she already looked menacing.

She stepped out of the bathroom, and Tony looked proud and impressed by his work. "Be back by 10 on school nights, and you can only go out if you've finished all of your homework. Clint's orders."

"When will Clint come back by the way?" She asked, pulling down the mask, admiring the fingerless gloves that had blue stitching to it.

"Tomorrow, I think." He waved off, walking away. Perse's eyes narrowed, but she let it go. There was something they weren't telling her about Clint, but she would find out eventually.

The bell rung, taking Perse back to reality. She gathered her things and went by the rest of the school day in this similar fashion, in a dreamlike haze, mind on her suit. She couldn't wait to start going out more, to fight _bad guys_. Tony had also included in her mask an ear piece that allowed her access to a police scanner, so she could listen to reports. She had never thought about that before, and she kicked herself for that one.

In PE, Perse finally saw Michelle, although the girl just spent the period reading a thick book, and Coach Wilson let her. Perse was pretty sure that the coach was a little bit scared of her friend. Today was just a lap day, which Perse hated since it was cold outside. At least, they allowed the students to wear sweatpants and sweaters. Perse put on grey sweats and a black long sleeve underneath her PE shirt. Most kids took the laps slow, a few actually ran or sprinted, and Perse was one of the latter. She never would before. But now that she had gotten the new suit, she felt more dedicated to being a superhero. And that meant getting into tip top shape. Another reason she was looking forward to Clint coming back from mission also meant that she could continue her training sessions with him. Perse's powers do give her some physical strength, but nothing significant like being able to lift a car.

During her run, she saw Peter and Ned walking the course, and managed to do three laps around them. She could have sworn she heard a, "Showoff!" From Ned. When Perse finished her laps, she stood off to the side to regain her breath and get a drink of water from the fountain. Coach Wilson was sitting on a chair, reading a magazine and not really paying attention to the kids running around. Some had even stopped early, like Peter and Ned when they walked up to her.

"You're really fast." Peter noted.

"You're really slow." Perse replied, smirking. Peter had a mock hurt of look on his face, while Ned nodded, not even bothering to deny it.

"We're geniuses. Geniuses don't have to run." Ned said, puffing out his chest.

"I don't see how the two are correlated, but okay." Perse laughed.

"Hey, Perse!" Flash called from his group of friends. The three turned their heads to look at the boy who was now starting to walk forward.

"Yes, Flash?" She said dully, trying to show lack of interest to deter him. Things like that always flew over Flash Thompson's head, though.

"Still hangin' with these tampons?" He joked, but Perse didn't laugh. "Listen, I saw you running out there. Ever thought about joining our track team? You'd be perfect. And not to mention, I'm on track too, so." His voice was slightly flirtatious in tone, which went over Perse's head. Things like that always flew over Persephone Perez's head.

"No, but thanks, Flash." Perse smiled to be nice, but then turned to face Ned and Peter. She could hear Flash sigh behind her before walking back to his friends.

"Woah, did you just turn down Flash?!" Ned exclaimed, grabbing Perse by the shoulders. "You're a god among men."

"Uh, what?" Perse chuckled, looking at Ned like he was a madman.

"No one really says no to Flash." Peter spoke up, nervously pushing up his glasses. He did that a lot.

"Okay! Back to the lockers!" Coach Wilson shouted, and everyone rushed back inside.

"Why? It was _really_ easy to." Perse shrugged, walking away to head to the girl locker room while the two boys went to their own. Peter was taken aback by Perse's bold behavior. It was certainly different from the meek girl he first spoke with, which wasn't to say that he didn't like it. He actually liked the confidence she was exuding. A lot.

Perse changed back into her regular clothes, jeans and a red asymmetrical hood. The very same that belonged to Wanda. The older teen had let Perse keep it, and it became one of her favorite articles of clothing to wear, despite being a little bit on her. It was comfy and warm and stylish. Perse put her hair down from the bun she kept in during class and waited for Michelle to change out so that they could walk out to lunch together.

"How was your read?" Perse asked, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

"Riveting." Michelle responded.

Outside, Ned and Peter were waiting for the girls and they went and grabbed lunch inside. Michelle disappeared at some point, probably to sit down and read; they could find her later. With lunch trays in hand, they found Michelle sitting inside the cafeteria, probably because it was a little chillier outside today, and sat down with her. Ned continued to ramble on about how Perse turned down Flash for track, which she still didn't completely understand how that was a big deal. Her attention was suddenly pulled away from her friend as some girl Perse had never seen before walked up to the table.

"We are so glad that you're alive and everything." The blonde said, chewing her gum. She handed Perse a card that had a picture of a beagle with a thermometer sticking out of its mouth and in a fancy script, "I hope you feel better soon!" Inside of it, it said "From the Cheer Squad" with everyone's name signed on and small messages, as well as a $50 gift card to Olive Garden.

"They didn't have cards for being kidnapped by your foster dad, so." The cheerleader said, giving Perse a pity smile.

"Uh." Perse said, shocked by the gift and by the girl's bluntness. "Thanks?"

"No problem!" She smiled big, and quickly walked away to head back to her table with the other cheerleaders. They cast glances at her, smiling. They probably felt better at themselves for doing this _great and selfless_ act.

Ned snatched the card from her hand, admiring the gift card.

"Hey!" She snatched it back, and placed it in her backpack. "That's _my_ pity gift card."

As Ned was making some comment about sharing is caring, she noticed Harry walk by with a group of his friends. She only recognized the other person in his group, which was Betty Brant from Decathlon. They made eye contact and smiled at each other before he was gone outside with his friends. The exchange didn't go by unnoticed by the others at the table.

"Did you just smile at _Harry Osborn_?" Ned whispered loudly.

"What?" Perse choked on her chicken nugget, and Michelle pounded her back without even looking up from her book. "Thanks." She said to Michelle before turning to Ned. "Did you just say _Osborn_?"

"Yeah! His dad is Norman Osborn, CEO of Oscorp." Ned nodded. "I mean first, he talks to you at Decathlon, but now you guys are _smiling _at each other? You guys would make cute babies."

"Ned, what the fuck?" Perse scrunched her face up. "First, ew. Second, we've only talked like twice."

"He has your book." Michelle noted.

"What?" Perse turned to her friend, as well as Ned and Peter.

"You gave him your book." She said, giving Perse a quirked eyebrow. She didn't say it aloud, but Michelle knew that Perse didn't just walk around handing her books to people. Book sharing was sacred between the two, so Michelle knew that it meant _something_. But not even Perse realized this until Michelle told her observation to the group. Perse was just grateful that Michelle didn't elaborate further on what sharing the book meant, because Ned would take it the wrong way and have a field day with it.

"Yeah, just to _read_, Jesus." Perse immediately said, but Ned didn't buy it.

"You guys would make such a power couple here." Ned said dreamily.

"I don't like the face you're making right now." Perse said, taking a bite out of her apple slice.

"He's just fantasizing of being the friend of Mrs. Harry Osborn and the power that would hold." Peter explained, to which Perse lightly shoved him. And also reached around Peter to shove Ned.

"You're both stupid. Boys are stupid." Perse grumbled. Michelle put her hand out for Perse to high five in agreement to her statement.

Perse didn't _really_ have feelings for Harry in that way. But she did feel an instant connection to him. She was hoping now that Harry wasn't getting mixed signals. If Ned saw it that way, and boys are stupid, then Harry might see it that way. Great, now she was stressing over boys. Fantastic.

Speaking of stressing over boys, Clint finally came home to the Tower today after school. He looked banged up, his arm in a cast. Perse ran up to him, asking him a flurry of questions.

"What happened?"

"Why do you always get hurt?"

"Next time, can I stitch you up? It'll be great practice."

"Can I sign your cast?"

Clint visibly got annoyed and lightly shoved Perse out of the way as he made his way over to the kitchen to sit down. He had new cuts on his face, a shiner on his left eye, and a cast on his right arm. He also walked with a slight limp, but tried his best to conceal that.

"What was the mission about?"

"Classified." He finally responded gruffly, to which Perse pouted and Clint rolled his eyes and relented. He was gonna tell her anyways, she didn't have to puppy-eye him. "I was following a Hydra lead. Making sure no more heads grow."

"Did they grow?"

"No. I'm good at my job, you know." Clint replied snarkily, but Perse wasn't deterred by his attitude.

"Whatever you say." She sighed, drumming her fingers against the counter. She really did want to sign the cast, though.

"Okay, fine. You can sign it." Clint sighed.

Perse jumped out of the seat and ran to her backpack to grab a Sharpie. Except Perse didn't sign his cast per se. Clint watched as the little girl started drawing out a cartoon drawing of a pigeon on his arm.

"Thanks." Clint said dryly. Perse only gave him a shit eating grin back, and Clint couldn't stay annoyed with her and let out a chuckle and smiled back. "How's school?"

"Good." She nodded. Her first day back had gone a lot better than she anticipated. "My friends helped me make it good. Kids still whispered behind my back and stared at me like I was a wonder in a circus act, but it could've been worse. I even got a gift card to Olive Garden!"

"And how are you?" Clint asked, in a tone that made Perse's smile drop slightly.

"Okay." She said softly, looking down at the Sharpie in her hand, fiddling with it. There was a long pause, but Clint was patient. "I just." She started, but stopped and sighed. "I try not to think about it too much, I guess. And I'm really lucky. I know that I could be…still at that base. Or back in the foster system. I'm lucky that I still have some parts of my life the same. I don't think I would have survived if I had to start over at a new school, in a new foster home.

"I still have nightmares every night, but. But I get out of bed, now. It doesn't feel like I'm being dragged down anymore. It's still different though."

"Like you're carrying a ton of bricks above your head?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed, glad that he understood. "Yeah. Exactly like that."

"I wish I could say that that feeling goes away, kid. You just kinda get used to it." Clint said, and Perse's shoulders drooped. She didn't want to keep carrying the weight of her parents death over her for forever. "But because of that, you get stronger for it. You're already getting stronger because of it. It's a heavy load. But by the looks of it, I think you're doing just fine."

Perse couldn't help but cry at his words. She thought she was done with all of the crying. She hugged Clint fiercely, surprising the super spy. Hesitantly, he reciprocated. The other Avengers didn't originally want Perse under their wing. _She's just a kid_. But she wasn't just a kid. She has a mysterious and complicated past with Hydra, she has powers, she had been using those powers the past few months to fight bad guys. She also has a past with Clint and Nat.

When Clint had seen a news report of a shadow that had saved the lives of a store shop bombing, he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach it was Persephone Kosmos. And be it dumb luck or cosmic fate, she ended up living in the same complex that Clint had decided to move into. She landed on his doorstep, well, rooftop. And it was her. Grown up and flying around the city. He couldn't let her go, again.

So, the others agreed, although reluctantly and hesitantly.

"I hear Tony made you a new suit." Clint changed the topic, and watched the young girl's face brighten.

"Yeah! Hold on let me go get it!" Perse said excitedly, nearly skipping (and floating) to the elevator. Clint watched after her, feeling a warmth spread across his chest that if anyone knew about, they would tease him relentlessly about it. He was getting attached to this young girl…and he didn't mind it.

She returned wearing the suit, showing it off in all its glory.

"And Tony went over the rules, right?" Clint asked, trying to sound stern.

"Yeah, yeah. Make sure I'm safe, alert authorities, have my homework done, be home by 10, yada, yada." She waved off. "Can I go after I'm done with my homework?"

"…Yeah. Yeah, but make sure all of it's done! No half-assing." Clint said.

"Yay!" She cheered, and ran back to the elevator that Tony was exiting out of, catching the last of their conversation. As Perse got in to head back to her room, Tony looked to Clint with a grin.

"I don't wanna hear it, Stark." He sighed, slouching on the high chair.

"You know I can't help myself, Barton. You sound like my father. Actually no, you sound like Cap."

"That's actually worse."

"I know."

Perse got out of her suit and changed into some comfortable clothing as she worked on her homework. She got most of it done, but was struggling on her Biology. She chewed on her bottom lip. Clint said to not half-ass, and Perse _is_ a goody-two-shoes, so she didn't want to leave without having it completed.

_Perse: Hey, are you busy?_

_Perse: I need help with my Bio hw._

_Peter P.: I can help! Skype?_

Perse didn't have a Skype, never needing to use it before. She quickly made an account and added Peter as a contact. She made her profile picture an old picture of herself, one of the only few selfies she actually has. But then she didn't like that and decided to take a picture then. She didn't like that either, and changed it to one of her paintings that she did of the Queensboro bridge at sunset. Once Peter accepted her request, she hit the video call button and suddenly felt nervous has the ringtone went through. Why was she nervous?

The call connected and Perse saw Peter's face, slightly pixelated, but there all the same. He had his glasses off, and his hair looked a little messy but contained like he had just brushed it down. Had he taken a nap? Did she wake him up? She now felt guilty. Would he be annoyed? Why was she asking herself all of these questions?!

"Were you just sleeping? I'm sorry." Perse said, which made Peter blush.

"No! It's okay." He said, putting his glasses on. He noticed Perse's own hair was in a braid, and she was wearing a regular black shirt instead of the hoodie she had on at school today. "So what did you need help on?"

Perse couldn't help but smile and then they started on her Biology work, and ended up staying on the call for another hour after he had finished helping her. She didn't realize until she saw that it was nearly 7, and said how it was dinnertime so she had to go. She couldn't believe she lost an hour of patrolling without noticing! But…she didn't mind _that_ much.

"Oh, okay. I'll see you tomorrow at school, Perse." He smiled, and something fluttered in Perse's gut, but she ignored the feeling.

"Bye." She smiled back, and ended the call. She stared at the screen for a moment, before getting up and changing into her suit. She really didn't mind at all that she spoke with Peter for an hour.

**AN: Perse's first day back! We'll learn in later chapters that Clint's mission wasn't as simple as he made it out to be (with possibly some flash back? I'm not sure yet). And we get some more friend fluffs and Clint fluff in the end. I wanted to make this chapter and next few more lighthearted before we go back into the pit of despair.**

**I just wanna make clear that Harry and Perse will **_**not**_ **be a thing. Like they will, but not in a romantic sense. They'll be platonic soulmates, if anyone has ever heard of that or experienced it themselves. Perse and Michelle have a very special bond as well, that I will continue to explore, but they have a different kind of relationship. I want to explore all of the different kinds of relationships that people can have with each other, so I'm excited to delve into that. **

**Incorrect Quote:**

**Perse: How long are we gonna stand here and let him do that?**

**Tony: Just give him a minute.**

**Clint: *pushing on a door that clearly says pull***


	10. The Goddess of the Night

**Zebralord23 left a review that left me **_**cackling**_ **so Imma leave this here for everyone to enjoy: I ques you could say that Clint was very birdbrained in that misquote there.**

**I feel like What's Up Danger perfectly encapsulates Perse's alter ego as she continues to come into her own (and I can't deny myself some parallels for the baddest POCs in the game). **

**I love that I've been getting more reviews, I like hearing from you all! And thank you again for continued support from everyone!**

_I like it when trouble brews, I won't dare change_

_I like it when there's turbulence on my airplanes_

_I like it when I sense things I can't see yet_

_Swimmin' with sharks when they ain't feed yet_

_'Cause I like high chances that I might lose_

_I like it all on the edge just like you_

_I like tall buildings so I can leap off of 'em_

_I go hard wit' it no matter how dark it is_

–_Blackway & Black Caviar, What's Up Danger_

"I'm not scared of you!"

Someone had reported a robbery in progress in a gas station. The old lady working behind the counter had tried to grab the shotgun, but the robber fired his weapon in warning. When Perse arrived, the woman had thankfully been left unharmed.

On instinct, Perse had jumped in front of the woman. Perse was now staring down the barrel of a .45. She couldn't use her powers in this situation. One wrong move and _BANG_. So she just kept her hands up, and turned back to her natural form. She silently thanked Tony for making her a mask.

The man's face was covered up by a black ski mask, but Perse could see his eyes. A dark brown. And they were terrified. He was scared out of his wits. Was he scared of the vigilante the papers had recently taken to calling "Nyx"?

With the new suit, came the rebrand. Perse had an inkling that Tony had something to do with it. Maybe because he suggested the name and before Perse could say whether she liked it or not, he walked out of the room to make a phone call. She did really like the name, though. It suited her, and sounded badass as well.

"Easy," Nyx cautioned, voice slightly muffled by the mask, "The police are already on their way, so you have two choices: stay and get arrested, or leave now while you still can."

The hand that held the gun started to shake. Perse tensed, but still didn't dare to move an inch. She could tell he was weighing his options. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest, she could hear the thumps.

He started to slowly move towards the exit, but still faced Nyx with the gun pointed squarely at her head. A few singles fell out of his pocket, but he didn't bother picking them up. The door opened, the bells jingled. And then he bolted out the door, sprinting down the street. Perse took in a breath she didn't realize she was holding in. She turned to the old lady, who looked so tired and frightened.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Yes." The woman replied weakly, nodding. Perse nodded back and then bolted out the door, transforming into her nightsky-like form. She truly became Nyx now in this moment.

Nyx soared up into the air and spotted the man running along an alley as the sound of sirens started to approach. She wasn't _really_ going to let him off the hook, she just wanted the store clerk out of harm's way.

Forming a dagger with her black plasma energy, she flew down and caught the robber by surprise by slicing at the arm that held the gun. He dropped it at feeling the sharp pain and when the gun landed on the floor, it accidentally let out a live shot. Perse jumped away at the noise, and thankfully didn't get shot, neither did the robber.

"You didn't really think I'd let you get away, right?" Nyx said, eyes glowing brighter as she quickly sent him a blast of energy that consumed him and his eyes turned black. "Let's find out what you're so scared of."

The man wildly tried to swing at Nyx, but she easily side stepped him and even landed a few punches of her own that knocked him back. Clint would have been proud of her technique. The man kneeled down on the ground, crying, as he saw what he thought was a giant tsunami approaching. As the "tsunami" grew near, he started kicking out wildly before managing to get up, but instead of running further into the alley and away from the approaching sirens, he ran out towards the street. Nyx slinked back into the shadows and watched as a cop car nearly hit the man, but it stopped in time. She released her control of the man and laughed at the shocked look on his face when he realized he was about to get arrested.

"All in a day's work." Perse sighed, flying off back towards the Tower.

She landed on the walkway ramp, pulling her mask down and transforming back to her normal self. Her hair was usually down and free or in a ponytail when she donned the suit, so she quickly wrapped it up in a high bun as she walked into the rec room of the Tower. The suit was great and all, but Perse quickly learned that baby powder went a long way with helping the chaffing situation. Being in this suit for a week also taught Perse the importance of putting it through the washing machine.

Clint was sitting on the couch, watching TV and lazily eating chips. His eyes were glazed over, watching TV mindlessly. Hawkeye is a serious slouch, and yet somehow he still has washboard abs. When Perse walked through and straight into the kitchen to grab a green apple, he barely spared her a glance, but did speak up.

"How'd it go tonight?" He asked before shoving in a mouthful of barbeque chips.

"Great. Two arrests." She grinned, taking a bite into the Granny Smith.

"Good job." He raised his arm above his head and gave her a thumbs up. "You all packed up for this weekend?"

It was Friday night, and Clint had asked Perse if she would like to come with him to the Compound for the weekend. She agreed, mostly looking forward to using the training facility there. While Stark's was nice, the Avengers Compound had a bigger space and simulations as well. It was an added bonus that she already had a room there. Sort of. Did that make her a sort of Avenger?

"Yeah. Do you think we could stop by a McDonald's on the way there? I'm craving a cheeseburger." She replied.

"McDonald's? Really?" Clint turned his head over to the young girl, a disgusted look on his face. "Have you ever been to Five Guys? Or literally any other burger joint with better taste?"

"I don't think I have ever heard an American speak of Mickey D's with such distaste." Perse rolled her eyes, but still laughed.

"Definitely not getting 'Mickey D's.' Ugh." Clint went back to his TV, to which Perse noticed to be a rerun of Jersey Shore. She snorted, to which Clint ignored because he knew he was being silently judged for watching a reality show.

Perse took the elevator back to her room, pressing the star on her suit to let it loosen around her body. It was extremely convenient that Stark did that, so that it would be easier to get in and out of. She wished he also thought of somehow making it extremely compact so that she could just carry it in her pocket. Maybe she'll bring that up next time she sees him.

Her room started feeling more like _her_ room now. Tony had jokingly given her a signed poster of–you guessed it–himself, and she decided to hang it up. (He didn't need to find out about that.) Perse also hung up some of her old drawings that she had saved, and some new ones as well. There was also a sketch from Michelle she hung up, that she did of Perse. It's almost like a caricature, with the exaggerated eyes and hair and the other features slightly smaller, but still easily resembled her. It was actually very Tim Burton-esque, which was a style of drawing that Perse never saw Michelle do. When she asked her why she drew Perse that way, she had simply said she felt like it. (Which in translation meant: "I think it suits you.") She actually felt a desire to add more to the room, which made her break down and cry the other day. It was a form of moving on, and she felt guilty for doing so. She tried to not to put herself down as much.

Perse fully got out of her suit and put on black sweatpants and a dark red long sleeve. She packed her suit into her duffle and then zipped it up, ready to go. They wouldn't leave for probably another hour, so she just spent the time getting a head start on her weekend homework so that she wouldn't have to worry about getting it done at the Compound.

In that time, she received a Snapchat from Peter. He sent her a video of him sneaking up behind his aunt and scaring her. The video ended shakily and mid-scream, along with a bark of laughter from Peter that was cut off as well. She grinned down at it before replying by taking a picture of the couch and including a message that said, "She's going to kill you one of these days."

Once Peter saw the snap, it took less than a minute for Perse to receive a Skype call from him. She answered, and saw a devilishly grinning Peter with his aunt's voice being heard in the background.

"…Better sleep with one eye open tonight, _PUNK!" _Perse heard the woman cry out before hearing a door slam. Peter didn't look the least bit frightened as he let out a giggle.

"She is _really_ going to murder you." Perse laughed, getting up from the couch and walking over to her bedroom.

"Ah, she loves me too much." Peter said. "She would miss me. What are you up to?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just doing stupid school stuff."

"Am I distracting you from it?"

"Yeah, but I'm very much okay with that. I don't know how much more of Mr. Thompson's class I can take anymore with all of these pre-lab and post-lab write ups." Perse rolled her eyes.

They fell into a conversation about Doctor Who, a show that Perse had never seen before and Peter started to go on about great it was (but not as great as the Clone Wars, he maintained). Perse then told him that the Office was actually the true greatest show of all time, to which he said "Office, who?" She swore that she might kill him one day.

The past week, Perse had continued to grow closer to Peter, Ned, and Harry. The latter of the three, not as much since he ran in relatively different circles, but it became routine for Perse to stop at the same hallway she first went to and Harry to come in and they talk until the bell rang. Ned nearly got Perse in trouble despite him doing all of the talking in English two days ago, and she tried to spend the whole day ignoring him, but failed by lunch period. Peter and Perse talked the most now, oftentimes texting, sending each other posts, and occasionally Skyping. Perse still got butterflies whenever she saw the notification from Skype, but rationalized that to being general nerves before getting into a social situation.

"Ms. Perez, Mr. Barton is waiting for you at the elevator." FRIDAY informed.

Right when FRIDAY got to saying Clint's name, Perse turned the mute button on in the video call. _Shit!_ She thought to herself, and dropped her phone in a panic.

"Perse? What was that? Do you have Alexa? Hey Alexa, was the dress blue and black or white and gold?" She could hear Peter say.

She picked up the phone, maintaining a calm face even though she was internally screaming. Unmute.

"Sorry, that was…Mrs. Kosmos. With a K. So pretentious. She sounds like a robot." Perse said, slightly stilted as she was coming up with all of this on the spot. "I gotta go. Dinner's ready!"

"You guys are having dinner at 11 at night?" Peter questioned, not sounding skeptical, but perplexed.

"They're a strange bunch, what can I say? Bye!" She smiled wide before quickly ending the call before Peter could say anything else. She hoped he didn't find that to be rude, but she was panicking and knew that if she stayed on the call, she would spiral. Keeping her superhero persona and powers secret was one thing, but now keeping her whole life a secret was becoming an increasingly difficult task.

"Ms. Perez, Mr. Barton is insisting that you finish using the restroom and come out. I have already informed him that you are not using the restroom." FRIDAY said. Clint probably actually said something along the lines of "You better not be taking a shit" but FRIDAY was too nice of an AI to say that outright.

"Let him know I'm coming." Perse sighed, sending a message to Peter apologizing for hanging up so quickly and that she would text him some other time. He quickly replied saying how it was okay and also a smiley face. Relief flooded, not realizing she was so worried over hurting Peter's feelings in the first place.

–

The next morning at the Compound, Natasha woke Perse up bright and early. With a bucket of cold water.

"So I hear Barton has started training you." She said, holding the now empty bucket.

Perse refrained from letting out a string of curse words as she jumped out of the bed, shivering. She accidentally let out a wave of anxiety, a defense against the surprise, but Natasha didn't even flinch. Perse looked to the bed, now drenched, and then looked back to the assassin. Receiving training from her had always been a dream, but Perse never considered the reality of it.

"This is not going to be fun, is it?" Perse questioned wearily.

Natasha smirked in response before walking out of the room, saying over her shoulder, "Get dressed and down to training in 10."

"Fucking hell." She muttered once she knew Natasha was gone.

She got out of her pajamas and changed into her only pair of athletic gear she owned as she got ready for the morning before quickly heading down to the training center. It was so early in the morning that not even the few remaining agents that worked at the Compound were up yet. The early morning sunlight filtered in through the large glass windows, making Perse's eyes squint up as she continued to try to fight off her sleepiness.

Natasha Romanoff was at the center of the room where there was a large mat put out, and also surrounded by numerous weights, a jump rope, and a large tire.

"First we warm up." She said loudly. Perse glared at her, cracking her neck and knuckles.

They went through basic stretching, push ups, a few laps around the perimeter of the facility. Perse was already exhausted from this, drinking water excessively and sweating profusely. Clint didn't push her nowhere near this far. Then began the weights. Natasha thankfully let her start out small, knowing that there's only so much the body can take before something gets pulled or teared, but it was still hell for Perse. Muscles burned in places that Perse never thought they could. She would be working on her biceps, feeling the pain there but also feel the muscles on her back burn. They finished with sparring, a terrifying endeavor.

"You're gonna want your stance like this." Natasha showed Perse and she mimicked the stance as best she could. She felt so worn down at this point. Natasha came forward and lightly nudged one of her feet to make her move it over so that they were better placed, placed a hand on her shoulder and back to help her straighten out. "Good."

"You know what sounds good right now?" Perse asked, a little breathless from the previous workout. Natasha quirked an eyebrow. "A cheeseburger." The spy snorted, showing more emotion than Perse has ever seen from her.

"I'm hoping Clint has shown you how to throw a punch right?" Natasha continued, decidedly ignoring Perse's joke (well, half-joke). "Show me."

Natasha stood in front of Perse, in her own defensive stance. Her eyes were fierce, intimidating. Blue with flecks of hazel in the center of them. Perse focused on the hazel, because it was the only part of Natasha that wasn't cold. It made her seem less scary, therefore easier to do what Perse was about to do. She aimed a punch at the redhead, who easily deflected.

"Good." She said with an impassive face, but her voice sounded impressed. Perse couldn't help but be proud of herself for that.

"Clint told me that landing a good punch isn't just about strength, but about the technique." Perse said.

"Correct. Punching utilizes your whole body. Legs, torso, shoulders, arms, wrists, hands. A lot goes into it if you do it right." Natasha informed. "That's why the way you stand is important. I also want you to bend your knees."

They went over this for a short while, Natasha just having Perse work on the movements while not actually punching anything. After that, they did another round of stretching and running, but a lot more relaxed than the first time. By the time they finished training, it was already almost 7:00 AM. Steve walked into the facility from the upstairs, looking like he had just come from a run.

Perse was laying on the mat like a starfish. When she noticed Steve, she picked her head up to look at him better. "Look who's up bright and early!" Perse joked.

"Good morning, Persephone." Steve greeted. "You haven't broken her yet?" He asked Natasha, turning to the woman who was currently wrapping her hands to continue her own training for the day.

"No, she holds her own well. Despite getting her training from Barton." She smiled down at Perse, before looking back up with Steve with an even bigger smile. The Black Widow smiles? Genuinely?

"It's _because_ of her training from me." Clint came up from behind Steve, looking a bit winded. Perse could easily deduce that he had gone running with Steve, although struggled more than the enhanced soldier. Then again, Perse doubted anyone could hold their own against Captain America when it came to endurance.

Natasha snorted at his remark before walking off towards the punching bags in the corner of the room. Perse remained on the floor of the mat. Her muscles stopped burning, but she knew that by tomorrow morning, they would be extremely sore. Clint and Steve came down and started their own training for the day as well, starting with weights. It was amusing watching Steve easily lift over 800 pounds (and benching 1500 pounds) while Clint was at 250. The latter was still impressive, but it was still funny seeing Clint glare at Steve who was unaware. When Steve and Clint wanted to spar, Clint picked Perse up by her feet and dragged her off to the side.

"You're heavier than you look." He joked, making Perse thrash out one leg to which he let go and laughed as she got up from the ground and stalked off to the side.

Perse watched the two men spar. Both of their fighting styles were somewhat similar, but also varied. Steve relied on his strength, but he was also fast. Clint was agile and calculating. He always stayed on defense while Steve remained on the offensive, a way for Clint to learn some of the moves that Steve relied on. But then Steve would catch on and switch it up sometimes, managing to knock Clint off of his feet. Then Clint would take Steve down with him. It was a constant back and forth battle. It was almost like a dance, and Perse became mesmerized.

Jimena used to watch UFC. Almost religiously. She knew the stats of her favorite fighters, would yell at the TV, cheer so loud that Mrs. Nesbit from next door would bang against the wall to try to shut her up, sometimes a beer would spill just a little bit before she would say, "Oh shit" and compose herself. And Perse never watched it with her. Why didn't she just watch it with her? Spend that time with her?

Clint landed hard against the mat, spurring Perse away from the memories. He groaned, but still managed to get right back up and into it. Perse winced, worried for him. He had gone to Seoul a few days ago to see an "old friend" that could fix Clint's arm for him and he returned right as rain. Perse wasn't sure how that was accomplished, but she felt wary about it. Like it might snap any second.

After some time, Perse eventually got up from the floor and left the training facility to the three Avengers while she headed to the kitchen for a snack. She came across a cooking Vision. Which was an interesting sight.

"Ah, Miss. Persephone. Would you like an omelette?" He said, giving a smile.

"Uh. Sure." She replied, sitting on top of the island next to the open carton of eggs and bowl of peppers.

He already had a plate made, the steam rising slightly. Before she could ask who that was meant for (since she seriously doubted it was for himself), Wanda walked in and grabbed the plate. She tried a bite and moaned.

"This is amazing, Vis." She complimented. Vis? If a robot could blush, Vision would be blushing.

"Thank you, Wanda." He said, turning back around to focus on the pan and cracking a few eggs. Wanda walked out of the room, heading towards the balcony outside to eat.

Perse remained silent, but gave a look towards the Scarlet Witch that the latter didn't notice. There was definitely something here, but Perse didn't even want to begin dissecting that. Actually, she couldn't help herself. How would that work? Vision was more than _just_ an android, all jokes aside, but it was still unclear exactly what he was. He gave off a vibe that Perse tried to avoid, and she couldn't explain why. But that's why she sat on the island watching him cook breakfast, because she wanted to make an effort despite the uncomfortable feeling she got whenever she was around him.

"Thanks." Perse grinned as Vision handed her a plate of the best omelettes she's ever had in the whole world.

As she ate at the table, she scrolled through her phone on various apps when she got a text from Peter.

_Peter: Have you seen this?! _

He attached a link to a YouTube video. Perse tapped on it and she smiled so wide it should have hurt. It was a video of herself. Well, of Nyx. It was a news clip, reporting on how she had stopped a robber with a gun. They showed security camera footage, extremely laggy. How she had shifted back to a human, the commentary of the news reporters speculating who or what Nyx is. Then the footage switched to a CCTV camera, this a slightly better quality as it shows the robber run into the alley and moments later, an all-black flying figure going after him. The next clip they showed how the robber had run out to the police. One reporter praised Nyx, while another spoke harshly of her.

_Peter: She is SO badass!_

_Peter: I met her, actually._

_Perse: Oh really? Did you say hi?_

Perse recalled that day with a smile.

"Stop looking so happy."

She looked up to see Clint walking in, groaning. Steve and Natasha followed after, the former smirking.

"You're just grumpy 'cause I whooped your ass." Steve said.

"Language, Rogers." Natasha teased, eliciting an eye roll from Steve.

"I regret ever saying that." He muttered, heading straight for the pantry.

"Vision made omelettes?" Clint said, visibly upset that he missed out on the eggs.

"They're delicious." Perse said through a mouthful of food, eyes still trained on her phone.

_Peter: Yeah, and she said I was the cutest guy she ever met._

_Perse: I highly doubt that._

_Peter: That I'm the cutest guy ever? _

_Peter: I'm actually hurt._

"That's gonna rot your brain." Steve frowned, sitting next to Perse at the table with a big bowl of salad.

"Okay, grandpa." She sighed, pocketing her phone. She slightly blushed at Peter's response, but it quickly receded when her attention was drawn away from the message. She was definitely _not_ thinking about it, because Peter wasn't cute. Well, he is, now that Perse thought about it. Wait, no thinking about it!

–

By Sunday afternoon they were heading back to the Tower, Perse happily eating a Double Quarter Pounder from McDonald's. That morning she could barely get out of her bed because her muscles were so sore, and Natasha made her go through another round of training similar to yesterday's. The only difference to it was that she actually upgraded to punching a bag instead of the air. She was glad to be away from the Compound and continue her training with Clint for the rest of the weekday before being subjected back to boot camp next weekend.

Clint drank a black coffee, which he treated like water. He was upset that Perse had somehow convinced him to go through a drive-thru, but it happened.

"Hey, you're Hawkguy!"

Clint merely sighed before forking over his money to the guy at the window.

Perse remained hidden in the back, using the trick she discovered at Midtown to avoid detection.

Being back in her room, Perse breathed in the air and plopped down on the couch, finishing the last bites of her burger and eating the remaining fries. The TV automatically turned on, playing an episode of the Office.

"Thank you, FRIDAY." Perse said, throwing up a peace sign at the ceiling.

"You're welcome, Miss. Perez." She responded. Tony programmed her _way _too good.

Although, all of her focus wasn't just on the TV. Perse would continually look out the window, looking out into the city. It was the weekend. Clint had never put a restriction on the weekends.

"The windows in your room can be opened." FRIDAY informed out of nowhere.

Perse was a little disturbed at how the AI knew what she was thinking, but decided not to dwell on I, Robot in the moment.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, Miss. Perez."

Perse jumped off of the couch, the TV automatically turned off, and grabbed her suit. She hastily took her clothes off and put the suit on, pressing on the star so that it would conform to her body. She kept the mask down as she transformed into Nyx. People couldn't recognize her before the mask anyways and she liked having it off while she flew around.

"FRIDAY, the window please." Perse said, adjusting the fingerless gloves properly.

The window opened, and even though her muscles screamed, she ran straight out and let herself free fall and then soared before it was too late to come back up. She cheered, putting in more effort to fly a bit faster before landing on a random building and finally pulling her mask up to have access to her earpiece. She pressed on it three times, which gave her the channel for the scanner and listened for all of the ongoing crime reports and then went to work.

She stopped a mugging happening, another robbery, and walked a kid home after she noticed him lost in the park. Other than that, it was a relatively quiet day. She spent most of her time flying around, sometimes making little balls of energy to play with. Action movies did not prepare Perse for how much space took up in between all of the action.

She found herself in Queens, not that far from her old apartment, when she got a call. Tony had connected her phone to the ear piece so that she wouldn't need her cell with her on missions. It would look weird to see the outline of a phone sticking out of her suit, afterall.

"Hello?"

"_Hey Perse! Are you busy right now?"_

Peter. He sounded like a giddy child, and Perse couldn't help but smile. She balanced herself on the ledge of an apartment complex, sometimes jumping forward. Whenever she lost balance, she corrected herself using her powers.

"No, just lounging around." She replied, but Peter had already started speaking over her and it was strange because it sounded like she could hear double.

"_Did you get my picture?! She's on my building! I-I, just! NYX IS ON MY BUILDING!"_

Startled, Perse turned and saw Peter Parker standing on the sidewalk, phone to his ear.

"Oh shit." She muttered, not paying attention to her steps and accidentally stepped off of the ledge.

"Oh, God!" Peter exclaimed, dropping his phone, which Perse was thankful for. He would have heard her yell out both in person and over the phone otherwise.

Perse fell down head-first, but did a flip where her back was facing the ground in momentary panic. She then put her hands and legs out to catch herself like she always had. Peter quickly jumped forward, ready to catch Nyx, but she was floating mere inches above him. The boy stepped back, fascinated.

"A-are you. Okay?" Peter got out, starstruck at seeing a superhero.

Perse wordlessly nodded, straightening her body so that she was in a standing position in the air. She remembered the she was still on the call with Peter and quickly ended the call by tapping on the ear piece once. In that moment, she wished that Tony had installed a voice modifier.

"Can I get a picture? Please." He asked, blushing a beet red.

"Sure." She replied, her voice in a higher pitch. She inwardly winced. _What are you thinking?!_

Peter eagerly raced back to his phone as Perse let herself fall down, landing on her feet. He picked up his phone and she could see that it had cracked. She instantly felt bad, because it was her fault. But he barely even registered it. He started to approach Perse, although more hesitantly now. He was about to touch shoulder to shoulder, but Perse made sure that there was space between the two. The camera came up and Perse stupidly smiled, even though it wouldn't be noticeable in the camera.

"Thanks. Thank you." Peter said, grinning like a madman. "M-My friends are going to flip over this."

Then she thought of something that would be incredibly dumb, but oh so hilarious.

"You know," She said, keeping her voice high, "You're pretty cute."

He stood there flabbergasted, blushing even more if that was possible, stuttering over his words so badly that Perse couldn't even make out what he was saying. She gave him a wink for added effect before flying off. She knew that was incredibly stupid. But he obviously didn't realize that Nyx is his friend Perse, so no harm done. And Peter did look pretty cute fumbling over his words. _Wait, what am I _thinking_?_ She got a phone call and knew who it was on the other line this time.

"_She totally called me cute! Hold on, I'm connecting Ned."_

"_Peter?"_

"_Ned, Nyx called me CUTE!"_

"_Yeah right."_

"Parker, are you on drugs?"

"_No, no, she really did! She said I was cute!"_

"Ned, I think we need to stage an intervention."

"_Are you even sure it was Nyx?"_

"_CHECK YOUR PHONE!"_

Perse couldn't help but laugh, still flying through the city. She couldn't wait to give Peter shit about this for weeks to come, since this will be all that he'd talk about for those weeks.

**AN: We love a Perse getting a crush on a Peter. **

**I wanted this chapter to cover a couple grounds: establish how Peter and Perse are getting closer and to also officially introduce NYX. Upgraded suit, upgraded name. And also I wanted her to be in a more high stakes situation than the one she dealt with in the summer because in this one she understood that her powers couldn't be the solution to every problem, and we see her quick thinking around that. Also I've been just dying to write another scene of Nyx and Peter that wasn't just the five seconds from the summer because they didn't really interact then. And there's also the added pressure that Perse risks Peter finding out who Nyx really is. And then I wanted her back at the Compound to spend more time around the other Avengers (which we'll get more of). **

**Question: **_**does anyone know why/have any theories why Perse is uncomfortable around Vision?**_

**Incorrect who?**

***After a training session***

**Natasha: Good job.**

**Perse: You're giving me a sticker?**

**Natasha: Not just any sticker. It has a kitten that says, "Me-Wow!"**

**Perse: Natasha, I'm not in kindergarten.**

**Natasha: Alright, I'll take it back then.**

**Perse: Hey, I earned this, back off!**

**(From a screenshot from Insta, so idk the source)**


	11. It's Just a School Project

**AN: Thank you all for the continued favorite and follows!**

**Intertwined Thread: Thank you so much! I hope you like this one, there's a lot more Peter and Perse goodness.**

**WhyAreTheGoodNamesGone: Thank you so much! And I hear you, I do struggle with this and I try to correct them when I find them. But I recently added a grammar corrector, so I hope this chapter is a bit better because my brain doesn't catch them all. Thank you for putting up with it otherwise lol.**

**Zebralord23: You're on the right track! We'll learn more within the next few chapters about this strange "connection" she has with Vision, but it definitely does have to do with her powers and being able to sense the Mind Stone. **

**19vanelkc: I'm glad you've been liking the story! I made this chapter a bit longer since I know the last one was like only 9 pages. **

**Shion Lee: Peter **_**is**_ **really cute lol. But Perse is awkward and doesn't like to often acknowledge that she finds anyone cute. I just really enjoy that as Nyx, she's bold enough to just say and feel that way, but her inner self/Perse self won't allow it. **

**Thank you all for the reviews, I enjoyed receiving them :) **

_and here you are living_

_despite it all_

_-Rupi Kaur_

Mrs. Diaz assigned a project for the class: pick a dialogue from any TV show or movie and translate it into Spanish to present to the class next week. She also took it upon herself to create the partners, pairing everyone in twos based on seating. So Mrs. Diaz paired Peter and Perse together, since Michelle sat in the third row and was paired the person across from her. Perse found herself being okay with this, even a little excited. She tried to hide her blush from Michelle, but the stony girl definitely noticed. It didn't help that Peter gave Perse a toothy grin, making her gut do flips.

The bell rang, and everyone quickly filed out except for the three friends who always took their time getting out of class in order to avoid the horde of students outside.

"So, since we're partners, I was thinking you could come over? To figure out a dialogue? I mean, I have band practice and all, but you know, after." Peter asked.

Perse's palms started to sweat, and she couldn't explain why. She didn't want to think about why. Next to her, Michelle grinned (although it looked more like a grimace).

"Today?" She said meekly, avoiding eye contact with Peter. Perse started to fiddle with the strap of her backpack, another thing that Michelle noted.

"Yeah." He replied, completely unaware of his friend's mini meltdown.

"Okay." She nodded, finally making eye contact with him. Those brown eyes brightened, and Perse couldn't help but smile at him.

"Okay, great! I get out at 4, I'll text you my address later." Peter grinned, separating from the group to head to the band room. Once he was gone, Michelle stared pointedly at Perse.

"What?" The grey eyed girl finally mustered, trying to sound innocent. But Perse knew what Michelle was thinking.

Michelle simply looked straight ahead, face impassive. "Nothing."

"Oh, shut up." Perse bit back.

Michelle found her mom's car and walked ahead. Before she opened the car door, she turned around to outline the shape of a heart with her fingers towards Perse with a big smile on her face. Perse wanted nothing more than to flip her off in that moment, but didn't want to do that with her friend's mom potentially seeing.

Perse got in her own car, a tinted SUV driven by none other Happy Hogan. The past two weeks, the man had gotten less grumpy. Perse attributed that to her making him breakfast as consolidation for dropping her off at school so early in the morning. Although, she might get back to square one in just a moment.

"Hey, Hap?" Perse started tentatively as the man tried to make his way through the traffic of cars.

"Don't call me 'Hap.'" He said, honking at a car.

"So I have to do this group project," She started, watching for his reactions, "Which means I would be working on it after school with my partner. Starting today."

"How does this relate to me?" He asked, bored.

"Well, I was wondering if–"

"If I could drive you."

"I'll make you lunch?"

Happy stared at Perse through the rearview mirror. He seemed to age 10 years in just that moment.

"Why aren't you going right now after school?" He almost sounded like he was _whining_. Perse would have laughed if she wasn't so stressed. Why was she so stressed?

"Well, he has band practice right now–"

"_He_? You're asking me to take you to a _boy's_ house? Oh hell, I'm letting Clint deal with this." Happy exaggerated, making Perse blush as she furrowed her brows in annoyance.

"I think the fact that my partner is a _boy_ shouldn't matter. It's 2016." Perse folded her arms across her chest, feeling the heat rise in her face even more. She was trying everything in her power to avoid this topic, especially because it was about _Peter Parker_.

"Listen, take it up with Barton. If he gives the okay, I'll drive you." Happy promised. "After you make me food."

–

"You want to go to a _boy's_ house?"

"Oh, my God."

"I. I'm not ready for this. A _boy_?"

"Clint."

"Did your parents ever have a talk with you about the birds and the bees?"

"Clint!"

Perse never thought it possible to see an Avenger blush out of extreme discomfort, but there's a first time for everything.

"It's just a school project." Perse's shoulders slumped, wishing that she could crawl into a hole and die.

She sat down on the couch of Clint's own floor of the Tower, now burrowing herself in and covering her face with a throw pillow. The layout wasn't all that different from Perse's own room, but noted that he sure did love the color purple. The walls were a shade of lavender, the throw pillows a dark purple, and she was willing to bet his bedroom was more or less the same color scheme.

Clint stared down at her for a long moment, looking conflicted. Clint Barton is a fairly young man–just barely going through his thirties–but he already has a good amount of grey hairs. He's fairly certain that being the guardian of a 14 year old girl would only increase them. He paled when a question entered his mind: Was she already sexually active? Yes, it was young, but it happens. He wasn't that far off when he lost his virginity in high school. So he was deathly afraid of what the answer might be.

"Are you already…having. You know."

"Oh, my God, Clint!" The pillow fell at the shock of hearing Clint's words. Perse's face turned beet red and her voice went up an octave. "I am _not_ having _s-e-x_ if that's what you're asking! This is hell, please, just let me leave."

Clint couldn't help but laugh despite the intense anxiety he was experiencing (which he was sure partly came from Perse because her eyes started to faintly turn blue). This was the worst thing to go through with a kid, and he never in a million years thought he would have to deal with this. Maybe he should let Natasha deal with this. She was more blunt and also a woman. He just didn't want to be the one.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay. You can go. Let's just. Forget this conversation happened." Clint waved her away as he spoke, and she quickly got up with no qualms.

–

The drive over to Peter's house was tense. Although, that was mostly because of Perse. Her talk with Clint stressed her out, and it started putting thoughts in her head that she did not like _at all_. Every time she thought about Peter now, she would feel her cheeks get hot. The last time she felt like this was in the 7th grade, when she was obsessed with a boy named Bobby. He was popular and kind, always greeting everyone including Perse. He moved away in the 8th grade, and with that her crush faded fairly quickly. Perse tried telling herself that she wasn't developing a crush on Peter, that it was just the idea planted by Clint because he started overreacting like some sitcom dad. Yeah, that was it.

When Happy pulled into the curb, he placed the car in park. He never puts the car in park when dropping Perse off. He unbuckled his seatbelt. Perse sat in the passenger seat, staring at Happy incredulously. He noticed and sighed, opening the car door.

"Come on, kid, I don't got all day. He wanted me to walk you up." Happy said.

"You have _got_ to kidding me." Perse deadpanned, getting flustered and now sweaty. This is terrible. All of this over a stupid project.

They went up to the gated door, Perse trying to regain her cool. She pressed the buzzer next to the Parker nameplate. Crackling came over and then a slightly fuzzy voice of a man came through.

"Parker residence!" The voice said jovially. This had to be his uncle.

"Er. Hi, this is Persephone Perez. I'm working on a project with Peter?" She said nervously, starting to hold on to a strand of her hair as she spoke. Beside her, Happy shuffled his feet as he looked up and down the street. His paranoia never settled, and Perse could always sense that. She prayed that he wouldn't get a heart attack one day.

"Right! Perse right? Come on up!" Then a loud buzzing sound came through the door and Perse quickly went to open it up.

The pair went through and walked up to the third floor, Perse still playing with her hair. Last door on the right down the hall. Right as Happy started to knock on the door, Perse quickly spoke up.

"Your last name is Kosmos with a 'K'!"

"What–why?" He said, looking down at the girl.

Before she could explain, the door opened to reveal a man that had to be Peter's uncle. He seemed to be around his 40s, with brown hair, but some greys here and there. His cheeks and nose were slightly ruddy, contrasting from his pale skin. He wore a red plaid button up and a smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle. Warm brown eyes ran in the Parker family.

"Hey, there. Ben Parker." He greeted, voice deep and just as warm as his eyes. He put his out for Happy to shake, which the latter did with a smile plastered on his face.

"Harold Kosmos." Happy replied. Mr. Parker couldn't tell, but Perse definitely noticed the cringe.

"And you must be Perse." Mr. Parker smiled down at Perse, and put his hand out for her to shake as well. "I've heard a lot of great things about you." This made Perse blush slightly, and she cleared her throat of the lump that tried to form. She wondered what Peter had to say about Perse. A part of her hoped none of it included what has happened to her in the past month.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Parker. I'll come by again to get Perse before dinner." Happy said, trying to match the jovial demeanor of Mr. Parker. Perse wanted to laugh.

"Oh, please, call me Ben! And if it's alright with you, Perse is more than welcome to stay for dinner." He said, looking back to the girl. Her blush receded, but now she seemed so small and meek. It wasn't that Mr. Parker–Ben–was intimidating to her. She was just deathly afraid of stepping into that apartment for some reason. The nerves ate away at her.

Happy looked down to Perse, knowing her body language enough to know that she was uncomfortable. He smirked, and looked back up to Ben. "Oh, Perse would love that! Thank you." Perse's head snapped to the man, mentally shooting daggers at him. He looked back down, playing innocent. "Just send me a text when you're done and I'll come get ya." He walked down the hallway, practically skipping. She knew it was payback for her making him come to drive her down here.

"Well, come on in!" Ben greeted, stepping aside fully to let Perse into the apartment.

She walked in, noting how homely everything was. Pictures cluttered some parts of the wall, on a stand. Everything was in a wood or dark brown decor, nothing white or modern at all. A homemade quilt on the couch. She could faintly smell apple cinnamon, and found that it came from a candle in the kitchen. The space itself was a little cramped, but not that different in size to her old apartment.

"Peter is in that bathroom taking a shower. He didn't realize you'd be here so fast coming in from Manhattan." Ben said, closing the door behind him. Perse had Happy and his erratic driving tactics to thank for that. "You can make yourself at home, he should be out soon."

Perse nodded, but still felt out of place. She sat on the couch, at the very end of it, on the very edge. She finally let go of her hair, just staring at the small flat screen that was playing the first Jurassic Park. Al loved this movie. He loved a lot of movies, actually. He was a big movie buff; he knew the dates, directors, actors, and more of all the movies that played in the apartment.

Peter's uncle sat at the other end of the couch, a beer in hand. "So, you know the movie?"

"Yeah," She nodded slightly, "It's really good." They were silent for a few moments, and Perse could have left it at that but instead she cleared her throat and spoke up again. "If the animatronic T-rex was exposed to water, it would malfunction. And it would happen randomly, so it would scare the cast and crew all the time."

Ben looked over at Perse, his eyes twinkling as he chuckled. He masked it well, but he couldn't help but feel pity towards the poor girl. He was the one that took Peter and Ned to her parent's memorial service (and also theorized to potentially be hers as well if her parents were to be any indication of what might have happened to her). Peter was distraught, despite only knowing Perse for not even a full week. Peter has a big heart, but Ben also now understood something about Perse: she has a big heart too.

"Is that right? I think I would have crapped my pants if that thing randomly came to life." Ben said, making Perse smile (although it came off as more of a grimace).

"Perse, hey!" Peter emerged from the hallway, dressed in sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt. The ends of his wet hair curled, which surprised Perse because Peter always kept his hair gelled back so she had never seen these little curls before.

"Hi." She said awkwardly, getting up from the couch.

"We can brainstorm in my room." He said, leading the girl into the hallway.

"Door open!" Uncle Ben called out, making Perse blush and Peter as well.

"Sorry." He muttered, opening the door (and keeping it wide open).

His room was a cluttered mess. The walls were covered head to toe in posters and pictures, a corner of dirty laundry that he was currently trying to pick up and toss into the basket, action figures of various Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who characters, and notebooks and papers strewn about the room. Perse could easily guess that Peter barely had any time to clean up his room and it was pretty funny watching him trying to do so now.

"Sorry." He repeated, chuckling nervously.

"It's okay." She said, standing awkwardly to the side. Why was her heart racing? It needed to stop.

"It's really not, I'm a mess." He sighed. "I mean. My room is a mess. But no, yeah, I'm a general mess too."

Perse laughed, and in doing so, actually relieved some of the tension she was holding. What was she freaking out over? Screw Clint and Happy, thinking all the wrong things about her being at a boy's house. This wasn't just any boy, this was Peter Parker, her _friend_.

The two sat at Peter's desk (with Perse on the chair and Peter taking a knee next to her) and started brainstorming what to make their dialogue from. Of course Star Wars instantly came up, to Perse's automatic disapproval.

"That's too common! So many people are probably going to pick Star Wars."

"No, everyone will pick something like 007 or 21 Jump Street."

"I think Star Wars is more probable than 007, Peter. Did you just list off two movies you think cool kids watch? You do realize that Star Wars is the most popular franchise in the world, and that we go to a school for nerds, right? That's going to be everyone's number one pick."

"Well, I don't see the problem in that…" He actually pouted and grumbled. Like a child! Although it was endearing.

"Well, I do. How about the Office?"

"Oh, so you wanna go with _your_ fav instead! I see how it is!"

"Okay, so we'll pick something that is neither of our favorites! Neutral shows or movies only."

They ended up settling on Smallville, a TV show the two were familiar with and liked. They went to work on translating. Mrs. Diaz had said that looking up the Spanish version of anything would be cheating. Peter and Perse were both brown nosers, so they decided not to cheat. It took them a long time to get through completing the translation because one of the two would get distracted and off topic, giggling about something ridiculous that was said.

"I still can't believe I saw _the_ Nyx. And what an actual goddess by the way." Peter spoke up after a moment of silence.

"Still on that!" Perse groaned, her usual quiet self actually erupting for once. Peter stood straighter at hearing her be more loud, eyes slightly widening. He grinned, liking that this new side of Perse revealed itself to him. She only reacted that way because she felt flattered and also some other feeling that she couldn't describe at hearing Peter call someone else a goddess. Although, it wasn't someone else. It was her. But he didn't know that.

"Of course I'm still on that! It was only four days ago! I'm still hoping that she'll appear again, but nothing. She's mostly been spotted in upper Manhattan."

"You've been keeping track of her now?" Perse questioned. She felt the butterflies betray her at hearing that Peter was now becoming more invested in her nightly activities.

"What? No. I just noticed on the news this morning." Peter said, getting flustered now. Perse laughed at him. He rolled his eyes, looking back down to his paper of now-completed dialogue. Peter ran his fingers through his hair, which was now dry and more curly than before. Perse really liked his hair this way.

"Sure." She drawled out, teasing him further before falling into a fit of laughter.

Suddenly, a knock came on Peter's door and Perse's laughter quickly died down. The loudness she was exhibiting disappeared, her smile slightly faltered. Perse never came off as cold or standoffish to people, just shy. Peter hated seeing her revert to that.

"Hey, so Aunt May has to pull a double at the hospital tonight. Which means Perse here has the luck of missing out on my wife's cooking. But I'm only slightly better, so does spaghetti sound good? It's one of the few meals I can do better than anyone else." Uncle Ben said, leaning against the doorframe. He had stood there for a few seconds before he knocked on the door. He saw how Perse and Peter were interacting, and smiled to himself. She was a sweet kid.

"His spaghetti is pretty great." Peter attested.

"That sounds great. Thank you again, Mr. Parker." Perse replied.

"Just Ben is fine." He smiled before walking off to start dinner.

"Your uncle seems really nice." Perse said softly, looking back to Peter.

His face softened, a smile on his lips as he glanced back to the now empty hallway before looking back to Perse. "Yeah, he's pretty great." That smile slowly faded, though. "He took me to my parent's graves a few months back. It was the first time I'd gone since…It was weird."

"How old were you?" She asked, keeping her voice soft. She reached a hand out and gently rested it on his shoulder. He welcomed the touch.

"I was 5. I can still remember them. Bits and pieces, but. It's starting to get harder to remember." His voice cracked and he looked away, but Perse didn't miss the two tears that spilled over.

"I can't imagine it." Perse said, almost quickly. She wanted to do everything in her power to try to make him feel better, but she didn't know how. "To remember. I-I don't remember. It hurts, the wondering, but to remember what you're missing…that has to hurt, too. But they're nice memories, right?"

He nodded, wiping away the stray tears.

"I'm sorry. That you don't remember your birth parents."

"Eh, it's okay. We both got lucky, we found some pretty great people to love us." She said, now rubbing his back a few times before she pulled away.

The anger towards Hydra flickered within her, at the thought that she had a great life going. And it was ripped away from her. But the anger receded like a tidal wave, until it eventually went away. She reminded herself that that chapter of her life was over, there was no more Hydra to worry about, to be angry about. And now, Perse found Clint. He took her in. She couldn't say that there was love between the two, but it was obvious they cared about each other and for right now, that was all that Perse needed.

But Peter didn't know all of this. Peter only knew the evil lies. In his eyes, he wondered what it must have been like to live under that household. He couldn't imagine a man to murder and kidnap whilst providing love. But Perse had said that Al didn't do it. He wished that she would explain what she meant by that–he wished she said what she knew. But he didn't want to push her. That kind of trauma had to be difficult to talk about.

"Yeah, we did." He said instead, face starting to brighten again. "I don't really like talking about my parents. I think it makes it easier, you know?"

"Yeah. I completely get that." She said. "But you always could. With me. If you ever feel like it."

"You too. About your foster parents. Only if you're comfortable, though. Not even about what happened if you're not ready. But, if you want to talk about _them,_ you can if you want."

Perse smiled, warmth spreading inside of her. "Yeah, that would be nice."

They fell into a comfortable silence, staring at each other for a beat before looking back down to their respective dialogues and correcting any translations that needed correcting.

Half an hour later and Uncle Ben called them into the dining room for dinner. They sat at the table, Ben giving the two teenagers large helpings of his spaghetti, and man was it _good_. She even went for seconds, much to Ben's pleasure. And although it was hard to get her out of her shell, she peaked out a bit as Ben continued to try to foster conversation with her. Peter helped as well, since he did most of the talking when he noticed Perse start to struggle to maintain the conversation. She was grateful for the obvious effort Peter's uncle was putting, and warmed up to him bit by bit. By the end of dinner, Peter picked up the plates and Perse offered to help with washing them. Ben excused himself to go take a shower and get ready for an early night in. Before he did, however, he spoke to Perse at a moment when Peter wasn't paying attention.

"You're welcome here anytime, kiddo. For however long you like." He said, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder before walking off. Perse wanted to cry, but kept it together. A part of her wished she could stay here forever. Become a part of the Parker family. But another part of her knew that she would miss the Tower–Clint, Tony, even Happy (and all of his attitude). Becoming aware of that made her realize that those people started to mean something more to her than them just being the Avengers.

"I should probably let Ha-Harold know to come get me." Perse said, almost slipping and calling "Harold," Happy.

"Okay." He said, sounding a little disappointed. "Wanna find something to watch while you wait for him?"

"Sure."

They ended up watching a competitive cooking show, laughing at the cattiness of some of the competitors. At one point, Perse's foot accidentally touched against Peter's. She panicked, and froze up. Peter didn't make any move either, or acknowledge that he felt her. She looked down to her bright red socks, that had a heart stitching over the top. She suddenly hated these socks. She looked back up to the TV screen, unaware of the glances that Peter would spare towards her.

He then got up from the couch, and Perse instantly drew her feet back. Relief washed over her, but then came a slight pang. Did she accidentally make him uncomfortable?

"I'mma get a glass of water. Want one?" He asked, clearing his throat.

"Uh. N-no, I'm okay. Thanks." She said, avoiding eye contact with him. She hoped that she hadn't made things awkward, she typically had a knack for that.

A buzzing noise came through, and then, "Hey, Mr. Kosmos here. For Perse."

Perse jumped up to go quietly answer into the intercom, "I'll be right down, Hap."

Peter came out of the kitchen with a glass, putting on a nice face. In reality, he wished that Perse could stay longer. But it was a school night, and he was fairly sure that her foster guardians wouldn't allow her to stay over too late at a boy's house. Uncle Ben had given him the talk hours prior, and that was the worst moment in his life. She was just coming over for a project, for crying out loud!

"Your ride's here?" He asked, sounding dejected.

"Yeah." Perse replied in the same tone.

They walked together to his room so that she could collect her things, purposefully being a little sluggish. Peter stood at the door, running his fingers through his now slightly frizzy hair and biting his lip. Perse had her back facing him, shoving her notebook and Spanish textbook in her bag.

"Would you wanna come over tomorrow?" He asked abruptly.

Perse got up, backpack slung over her back. She didn't respond right away, which Peter mistook for hesitance to say yes.

"You know, to work on the project some more." He reasoned, scratching the back of his head. A small blush appeared over his cheeks and neck. "I mean, I have band practice again, but afterwards. And Uncle Ben could pick us up, so that your foster people don't have to drive you back and forth so much."

"Yeah." She said, smiling. "We gotta practice the dialogue, after all."

"Right." He grinned.

Peter walked Perse to the door, and they heard the intercom buzz twice.

"That's Mr. Kosmos." Perse sighed, knowing that Happy was getting annoyed for waiting.

"With a 'K.'" Peter said, remembering the Skype call. He opened the door for Perse.

"_So_ pretentious." Perse replied, walking out.

"See you tomorrow, Perse."

"See ya."

Perse walked down the hallway with a little extra pep in her step and a torrent of butterflies in her stomach. Peter leaned against the doorway, smiling to himself for a moment before returning to the living room.

"I don't want any cooties you may have, okay?" Happy immediately said once Perse got inside the tinted SUV.

"Yeah, well, I don't want your cooties." Perse retorted, buckling in. "You know, you guys are all the dirty-minded ones."

"No, you know who are dirty-minded? _Teenage boys_. They're only after–"

"Please don't finish that sentence."

–

The next day before school started, Harry sat down next to Perse as per usual. He opened up his bag and handed back the girl's copy of _Invisible Man_, as well as another book. _Wuthering Heights._ The spine was perfect, as if it had been barely cracked open. In fact, the book itself was perfect. It wasn't a normal copy of the book. This one was in dark brown leather with gold boarding and lettering of the title.

"Make a home out of this one." He said lightly, "This copy is my dad's. But he never read it. He only really had it for decoration. I think you would appreciate it more than him."

"Thank you, Harry." Perse smiled.

"This book was actually my mom's favorite." Harry said, a hint of sadness in his voice that Perse picked up on. After Perse had learned that her Harry was the very same Harry Osborn related to Norman Osborn, she decided not to bring it up to him. She figured that they had gone so long not bringing up his celebrity, and it was for good reason. Perse remembered the news of the untimely death of Emily Osborn a few years ago.

"Thank you." She repeated, this time more softly. She noticed that his blue eyes seemed more green today.

"Yeah." He said a little hoarsely. He cleared his throat, trying to rid himself of emotion. Harry Osborn didn't like thinking about his mother often. "Hey, are you doing anything after school today?"

"Yeah, I'm actually gonna work on a project with Peter." She replied, gently placing the book in her bag.

"Oh." Harry replied. He blinked his eyes rapidly, but made sure to regain his composure. "Maybe some other time?"

"Definitely." Perse grinned, completely unaware of Harry's reaction. "How about this weekend? We can go see Girl on the Train? It has Emily Blunt in it, and she's great."

"Yeah, that sounds good." Harry smiled. Perse was completely naive to the fact that it sounded like she was asking Harry out on a date. Persephone Perez is usually naive to these kinds of things.

The bell rang and they went their separate ways. School went by in a flash, and Perse spent every moment she could on reading her new book gifted by Harry. She tried thinking of what parts that Harry's mother would have enjoyed, and if Harry had read the book himself. She was afraid to ask, in case it was too sensitive of a topic for him. Their friendship grew, but it was still new, so Perse didn't know what his boundaries were yet. Michelle also didn't waste any time teasing Perse that he gave her a romance novel in art class.

"It's not like that!" Perse groaned, annoyed how everyone suddenly perceived her to be some sexual being.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch." Michelle snickered. She was working on a watercolor of what looked to be someone getting stabbed. It looked elegant, but also muddy almost, like the painting was from the perspective of someone crying and seeing it happen.

"_Your_ panties are in a bunch." Perse muttered under her breath, arguing like a child would.

By Spanish, Mrs. Diaz let everyone pair up with their partners and work on the dialogue the whole class period. In reality, it was just everyone chatting and barely working, including Peter and Perse. They argued about sweet potatoes, laughed over an episode of the Office, and then barely went over their actual assignment. At the bell, they got up and started walking towards the band room together.

She had already told Happy this morning that she would be heading straight to Peter's house. She expected him to complain, but he actually cracked a smile!

"Fine by me. I can actually live my life for once."

"Living your life consists of watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians and eating fancy cheese with wine."

"Whatever, just don't come back home with a baby."

"Happy!"

She had caught him doing that once, and never let him forget. She was also excited to tell the rest of the Avengers when she saw them again, because then everyone could join in on shitting on him for it. It would be sweet revenge since he was still teasing her about Peter. Her thoughts were drawn away when Peter brought up Nyx.

"I haven't seen her in a while, I hope she's doing okay." Peter said, almost dreamily. Did Peter have a crush on Nyx? The thought made Perse blush.

"She was on the news two nights ago for stopping a mugging." Perse rolled her eyes, trying her best to not act like she was in fact Nyx. It was strange to talk about herself as if she wasn't talking about herself. And she was always afraid that someone would connect the dots, even though there are no dots to connect.

"Yeah, I saw!" He grinned, and started going over the news report of it.

"I think you're starting to let this get to your head, Parker." Perse said, stopping Peter from his gushing.

"Get what to my head?" He tilted his head, scrunching up his nose. "Nothing's getting to my head. It's just pure fact. She called me cute. A badass superhero called me cute. That's all."

"That's all." She repeated, grinning. "God, you're insufferable."

"No, I'm not." He said cheekily, actually skipping as they walked into the band room. "You can either sit in the corner or out in the hallway if you want." He went for his locker to grab his case.

Perse decided she didn't want to look like a weirdo hanging out in the corner and feel so out of place, so she opted for the hallway. Before she walked out, she saw him pulling out a trumpet. A memory flashed of Jimena. She used to play trumpet in high school. Al used to play trumpet as well. That's how they met. Highschool sweethearts.

She sat on the floor of the hallway as the band started their practice, starting on her homework for her other classes. There was one trumpet that she could make out over the others, or maybe she really didn't, but it seemed like it. It felt like she was hearing Peter over all the others, like she knew it was Peter. "I'm going crazy." She muttered to herself.

An hour later, Peter is the first one out of practice, lugging along his trumpet case. "Come on." He smiled.

Perse followed after him as they made their way to the front of the school where a red Ford truck was waiting for them. Uncle Ben had his regular charming smile as the kids got in the car, squeezing in a bit. Peter sat in the middle with Perse taking the actual passenger seat. Their shoulders and thighs were touching, something that Perse was hyper aware of. Peter did most of the talking on the way to his apartment, rambling about band practice, gossiping about the other trumpet players and some of the clarinets.

Once they got to the apartment, Uncle Ben gave them their space and retreated to his room (although he kept his door open and Peter's door remained open as well). Perse and Peter got to work…for roughly an hour until they gave themselves a "well-deserved break" and went to the kitchen to scrounge for snacks.

"Hey, would you wanna keep working on it this weekend?" Peter asked through a mouthful of BBQ chips.

"Oh." Perse said, chewing and swallowing the Hot Cheetos she made a quick grab at when she found them in his pantry. "Well, I'm actually gonna hang out with Harry this weekend."

"Oh." Peter replied, eyes slightly wide. His voice slightly went up, trying to sound nonchalant. "For school?"

"No, just to hang out." She shrugged, feeling her cheeks get a little hot. She found herself hoping that Peter didn't think that she was going on a date. "I think you and Harry would get along. You could tag along with us." It just rolled off the tongue, and she didn't regret it. She just hoped that Harry would be okay with it as well.

Peter let out a bark of laughter that slightly startled the girl known to strike fear into people's hearts. "Yeah, right."

"Really!" Perse said sincerely, giving Peter puppy dog eyes. "He's a nice guy." Peter only rolled his eyes. "You just see that he's an Osborn; he's more than that."

"…I guess." Peter relented, not being able to say no to the face she gave him.

"It'll be great." She enthused, popping another Hot Cheeto in her mouth. Peter didn't feel as convinced, however. But it meant spending more time with Perse, so what the hell.

As the two moved on to a different topic, they were completely unaware that in the building across from them was a man listening to everything they said. He had followed them from school, tailing the old red truck. Not even the man driving had a sneaking suspicion. That's because he's really good at what he does. In fact, he's the best of the best. So he was mostly peeved that he was stuck on kid watch, instead of dealing with more important matters. But his boss stressed that this was important. That in order to achieve salvation, they needed _her_.

**AN: Aawww shit. Member when Perse was followed? He's back :) But hey, we got MORE Peter and Perse! Again, I want to stress that Harry and Perse will not become a thing, but Harry is attracted to Perse because she's a damn **_**goddess okay**_ **and there's a particular way I want their beginning to be so just bear with me until we get to it. I am basing their friendship over one that I had in real life, which started out a little confusing until it was firmly established that we love each other but just in platonic way. Also, Perse is becoming more aware that she's crushing on Peter, but she's still refusing to admit the fact. Reminder that this a SLOW burn story, so get ready for some oofs (but I won't leave you guys high and dry the **_**whole**_ **time, I love me some fluff and cute moments too much to do that). And I couldn't help myself to include Clint and Happy acting like such overprotective dads over hearing that she's spending time with a boy. **

**Incorrect Quuuootee:**

**Peter, texting Perse: You wanna come over?**

**Perse, replying outside: I just left your house.**

**Peter:**

**Peter: Wanna come back?**

**(from incorrect-into-the-spiderverse on tumblr)**


	12. 3, 2, 1…FLASH!

**PrettyRecklessLaura: Oh, I'm **_**very**_ **excited for when that day comes! I have a few ideas bouncing in my head, but I do have a clear general idea of how Peter will find out about Nyx/Perse. Thank you so much for your review!**

**AN: I don't know if any of you guys watch Agents of SHIELD, but if any of you do, how do you feel about this season? I'm conflicted on my emotions for it. For the most part, I kinda don't like it, but then there's a lot of moments that make me keep watching. **

**Here's this chapter where we get some action, angst, and fluff! Hope you enjoy!**

_Or maybe we can hang out girl_

_Whatever you want to do _

_Just let me know _

_It's up to you_

–_Musiq Soulchild, Just Friends (Sunny)_

Perse decided to fly around the city and do some superhero-ing as Nyx before her hang out with Harry and Peter. She also decided to tell Clint the truth that she would be meeting up with them later in the night, since she started to feel guilty about thinking of lying to him. She never had a problem before since, after all, she had been hiding from everyone in the world about her powers. But Clint was different. He was the first to learn her secret–and he knows about her past. He knows everything about her, so it didn't feel right to start lying to him when he already knew the worst parts of her.

He was reluctant, but ultimately okay with it. But he did go over a _lot_ of self-defense moves during their training sessions that morning. And gave her pepper spray. Tony also tried his iteration of "the talk" but Perse didn't give him the chance to finish as she ran out and flew off of the platform.

"So the penis and vagina–"

"Nope!"

She hated _all_ of them.

She had a small bag with a change of clothes that she hid on the roof of the MetLife building. It wouldn't look very heroic lugging around the bag while she did her work.

Nyx was spotted all around Manhattan. She stopped a car thief, she walked a scared woman home, and stopped a purse snatcher. The purse snatcher was just a kid, around her age. He wore a navy hoodie, drawn up to try to cover his face as he bumped into a young woman.

"My purse!" She shouted, and Nyx overheard. The teenage boy broke into a sprint, turning a corner.

Nyx followed after him from up above, no problem. She landed in front of him with her hand placed in front of herself, black energy pooling out. The teenager crashed against her hand, and then stumbled back. He immediately dropped the bag, tears forming in his black clouded eyes. He feared losing his mom who had cancer.

It was only him and her. Perse dug a little deeper and found that they were struggling. Barely being able to pay rent on time. This kid worked two jobs. But it wasn't enough. So he resorted to stealing, which he hated. He was always scared of getting caught. Like now.

"This isn't the way." She said lowly, so that the gathering crowd wouldn't hear her. "This isn't how you help her."

"Then what do you fucking suggest, huh?" He sobbed, the nightmare still taking hold. Perse lessened her effects so he wouldn't see the nightmare anymore, but kept a mental hold on him. "The system is rigged! The system isn't helping her!"

Perse could hear some people start to record, and one person speaking with 911 on the phone. She didn't want him to be behind bars. So, she created a large black fog so that no one could see. She sent out small energy balls to the three phones that were recording, breaking them, and also send out one towards the 911 caller.

"Hey, she's helping the thief!" Someone called out while another called, "I can't see!"

"Come on." She groaned, and grabbed the boy's wrists as they ran through the thick fog. People were getting antsy, which she felt bad for, but she needed to maintain cover as they ran out. Once they turned a corner, Perse let go control of the fog and continued to run until they were a few blocks away.

Well hidden in an alley, Perse let go of the boy and also let go of her mental control on him from touching him. She leaned against the wall as she tried to regain her breath. The boy sat on the floor, regaining his breath as well. Perse pulled her mask up as she reverted back to her normal self, to keep her true identity hidden.

"Why did you do that?" He said after a beat. Dark brown eyes peaked out from his hood, eyes that looked so lost. Shaky hands.

"Ditch the hoodie. Don't run and look around, it'll make you look suspicious." She said, not answering his question. "Just don't do that again, okay?"

He nodded once, still regarding Perse warily.

"Okay, run along now."

He got up, sparing Nyx one last glance before running off.

It was in this moment that Perse sensed something off. There was someone here, and with malintent. She instantly transformed and created small daggers in each of her hands. Someone was watching her, and they were momentarily apprehensive. As soon as she transformed, the sense she had disappeared. Like someone had controlled themselves and rid themselves of their fear. She turned in a semi circle, mentally reaching out. There was someone at the end of the alley hiding behind the large dumpster. She reached out more and searched for their fears. She saw a great fire consuming the man, heard the echoing screams as he was being burned, and what seemed to be a building collapsing on top of him. This felt like a memory, and not a fear borne out of imagination.

"I know you're there!" She called out.

The man jumped out with a glock at her words. He had a black mask on, the front of smeared with white spray paint. She could see the burn scars at the edges of his mask. He fired right as Perse dodged out of the way and sent out a dark dagger. He easily dodged her dagger and continued to fire. Those bullets would have pierced through her skin and killed her, but they didn't. Out of instinct, Perse unknowingly created a large disc of energy in front of her as her eyes glowed white, and the bullets couldn't penetrate through them.

"Woah." She breathed, discovering the new use to her power. "How about that?"

As soon as the round of firing stopped, she seized the moment. She flew forward and created a fog to blind him and try to control him. The man yelled out, but Perse didn't have complete control over him. He was mentally fighting her off, which she didn't know was possible. Right when she grabbed the wrist that held the gun, he let go of it and it clattered to the ground, as if her hand was on fire. No accidental shots rang out this time. She tried to intensify the flames in his nightmares, but suddenly, Perse was blinded by a bright light. She staggered back, the fog slowly dissipating.

She couldn't see. Every time she blinked, she saw the light flash again like an after shock. Everything was blurry. A loud ringing sound in her ears as well that just wouldn't go away. After a few seconds, she could see again, but the ringing remained. She was still in the alley. Alone now. She flew up to see if she could find him. He was gone.

"Damn it." She cursed, landing on top of a building. She sat on top of a large vent that was blowing up air. She pulled down her mask, to allow herself to breathe a bit better. Tony had designed the mask to allow for as much easy breathing it could allow, but it was still a fabric and she needed complete, fresh air.

Who was the man? Why had he been watching her from afar? And the scariest question: was he following her?

Perse drew her mask back up, and a call started coming through.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, it's Harry! Peter and I are here at the theater. Are you almost here?"_ Shit!

"Oh! Yeah, sorry, stuck in traffic! I'm almost there!" She said, already soaring up and heading back to the MetLife building to change her clothes. The sun was already coming down, the last rays fighting for a few more seconds of daylight as the night came down. Perse had lost track of time, reasonably so.

"_Okay! We're gonna get snacks for the movie, what do you want?"_

"You don't gotta get me anything, Harry!"

"_Nah, it's my treat!"_

"No, it's okay!"

"_Really, Perse."_

"…Well, I'm a sucker for Skittles."

"_Skittles it is."_

"Thank you, Harry."

"_Of course, Persephone. Send a text when you're here."_

She ended the call as she landed on top of the building. Perse tapped on the star on her suit, and it loosened to allow for her to easily slip out of it and change into a pair of black leggings, black shirt that had the Batman symbol on it in gold, and black Converse. She shoved her suit in the small bag, and snapped the clasp shut and slung it over her shoulder.

At least it wouldn't take long to fly over to Queens, she thought to herself.

Perse landed a block away from the movie theater, making sure that there was no one that saw her land on an apartment complex. She ran down the fire escape and jumped off the last floor of it. She softened her landing by slightly floating, but only her eyes glowed as she did so. Perse could use her powers without completely shifting, but only in limited ways, and her eyes always glowed without fail. She sent Harry a text that she was a block away as she sped walked down the sidewalk.

She grew paranoid as she walked down the street. Sensing people and their fears, trying to make sure that he wasn't in the crowds. She wondered how long he had been following her. What he knew. And why would he try to attack her. He was clearly trained, since he was able to resist her powers. He wasn't some random pedestrian that had a bone to pick with Nyx. No, this felt personal and calculated.

Perse made it inside the building when she spotted Harry and Peter to the side of the concession stand, and also Ned! Peter most likely invited him, which she didn't mind in the least. To her pleasant surprise, they were all actually talking–and it seemed amicable! Peter was holding a large popcorn and ICEE, blue raspberry flavor. Ned kept stealing popcorn from Peter, but also had his own candy, Buncha Crunch. Harry had Red Vines, his own soda, and also Perse's Skittles. Despite feeling some happiness, a large part of her still felt on edge. She made sure that he wasn't in the room.

"Perse, hey!" Harry called out, smiling and waving. Perse walked up to the three boys, smiling (but it came off as more of a grimace). Harry handed her the Skittles and a ticket stub.

"Harry, you didn't have to pay for my ticket, too!" Perse said quickly, instantly feeling bad.

She always hated people paying for her, it made her feel like an inconvenience. There were one too many homes where they would complain at having to take care of her. Especially because in this case, it was Harry. She didn't want him to feel like she was using him for his wealth.

"I paid for all of us." He shrugged. Perse didn't miss Peter's eye roll.

"Thanks again." Ned said, excited. Ned was always happy-go-lucky, no matter what. Perse was glad that he was here as well, because it helped distract her from the inner turmoil she was feeling inside.

They headed further inside and found seats at the very top row. The trailers had already started, which Perse was disappointed to have missed some. She always enjoyed seeing the trailers.

"Aw, we're missing some trailers." Perse whispered as they got into four seats.

"I love seeing the trailers, too!" Harry exclaimed in a whisper.

Ned sat the far left, then it was Peter, Harry, and Perse at the other end. As they settled in, Perse scanned around the room sensing people's fears. One benefit to her powers was that she could automatically sense people's fears without her eyes or skin shifting. It's when she actively tried digging into their minds or manipulating their minds that her shifting abilities occurred. It was wildly annoying that her body did that, it created a beacon for others to know something was different about her. At least she knew that he wasn't inside the theater, either. Perse tried her best to not be antsy. Still, she absentmindedly bounced her leg, her thoughts drifting back to the alley.

He had waited until the kid left. Or maybe he came in right when the kid left, coincidental timing. But Perse couldn't shake the feeling that it was the former. He didn't want any witnesses, he waited for a pure moment where she was alone and grounded. She hoped that he was only coming after Nyx, and not herself. A scary thought crossed her mind that she quickly put away, not wanting to dwell on it. The trailer for Rogue One came on, and she heard the quiet excited chattering from Peter and Ned. She leaned back against the seat, starting to eat her Skittles.

"You can have some of my soda too, if you want." Harry offered, looking over at the girl in the dark.

"And get cooties?" She scrunched up her nose, but quickly smiled to show that she wasn't being serious.

Harry merely lightly nudged her shoulder with his, letting out a sarcastic laugh. Someone below them shushed the pair. Harry's eyes widened, and he pushed up his glasses in a way that Perse found extremely comical. He looked back to Perse, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he loudly cleared his throat and then proceeded to "accidentally" kick their chair. The person turned around to glare, but quickly turned back towards the screen. Perse couldn't help but snicker, but she still scolded Harry.

"They're just trying to watch the movie." She whispered even more lowly than before that Harry had to lean in to hear her.

"Oh, come on, it hasn't even started yet!" Despite arguing, he turned his volume down to the same level as Perse.

They fell into silence as the last of the trailers churned out. Right before the movie started, Perse leaned in to speak one final time to Harry.

"Thank you for paying for all of us. But I want you to know that you never have to feel obligated to pay for any of us. You're company is enough."

"…I don't think anyone has ever told me that before."

Perse wanted to reach out and hug him, because that broke her heart. It made her wonder if he ever had a genuine friend that wasn't interested in him because of his father's fame and money. She knew the likely answer, and hated that that was the reality.

"Thank you. But I wanted to tonight." He said right as the movie started. Perse gave him another smile, this one softer and warmer. He returned it, thinking to himself why Persephone Perez was so amazing. Sure, he was initially a little peeved that she invited Parker, because he thought this movie meant something else. But he was still able to spend some time with her, and Peter and Ned weren't so bad.

At some point, Harry leaned forward in his seat. Peter and Perse had a perfect view of each other if one were to look over. Perse's attention remained on the screen, but Peter noticed her. The lights of the screen dancing across her face. Her eyes keeping careful track of the action sequences. But then her face changed, and Perse's eyes wandered around. It was as if she was scanning the people in front of her. She licked her full lips, and eyebrows now scrunched together. To his left, Ned started to make some comment about the movie, drawing Peter's attention away from Perse.

Perse tried to concentrate on the movie. For the most part, she was. But every so often, she would make sure that he wasn't in the room. She couldn't stop going back to the alley fight. He fought her with precision. Trained. It ate away at her that he was able to resist her control, because no one had ever done that before. It was also impossible for Perse to create force fields with her plasma, but she accomplished that. It was a fight or flight response, she didn't have to think about it. She just focused her energy and concentrated it, and voila. She should have dug deeper into his nightmares, his fears. Perse sensed that there was more to those fires, he wasn't just afraid of them, but also of whatever (or whomever) caused it.

Once the movie ended, the group all walked out back towards the concessions.

"Have you guys ever been to Dave and Busters?" Harry asked, not wanting this night to end just yet.

"Oh man, that place is so much fun!" Ned exclaimed, obviously on board. Peter reluctantly agreed as well, glancing over at a very distracted Perse. Her eyes wandered the building, watching all the people leaving the theater and coming in. Ned's voice sounded faraway to Perse, like he was at the other end of a tunnel.

"I can have my driver pick us all up." Harry said, whipping out his phone to send a text. Harry's voice didn't completely register to Perse either.

"Perse?" Harry noticed as well, trying to grab her attention. She snapped back, still not completely present.

"Yeah?" She said, missing everything that had been said.

Harry furrowed his brows, speaking a little more slowly. "Are you down to go to the arcade?"

"Yeah!" She said, noticing that they were noticing something was off with her. She had to keep it cool, she had to pretend like she was okay. "Let me just call Mr. Kosmos."

"Okay." Harry nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. He could tell something was off about her, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it later.

Perse walked away from the group, granting herself some privacy. She just wanted to call and let Clint know that she would be continuing to stay out with her friends. He was currently at the Compound now, attending to some Avengers business.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know that my friends wanna go to an arcade. Is that okay?" She asked, trying to sound cool to Clint. But she forgot she was speaking to a super spy.

"_Yeeaah. Do _you _want to go? You sound a little uneasy."_ She spared a glance over at her friends, mentally cursing herself.

"Yeah, I do." She hesitated. Perse didn't want Clint to worry about her suspicions that she had about the man that attacked her today. But she knew she had to tell him. "I just had this run-in earlier today when I was patrolling."

"_What kind of 'run-in'?"_ His voice became more alert.

"Before you start freaking out, _I'm fine_, but. This guy tried to attack me, but I fought him off, and he got away. I guess I'm just a little shaken up." Okay, she wasn't necessarily lying to him, but she also wasn't telling him the whole truth, either.

"_Maybe you shouldn't be out right now."_ Clint started, but Perse quickly reassured him.

"I'm _fine_, Clint. He came after me as Nyx, not Perse. And I've been making sure he's not around." At least, that's what Perse hoped: that he came after her alter ego. But her gut said otherwise. She just didn't want to tell Clint that. She was enjoying the night, her first real outing with friends. If she told Clint her concerns, he would make her go home and she didn't want that.

"_Okay. Just stay safe. Send me a text when you're…flying, or whatever, back to the Tower."_

"Of course. Bye, Clint." She smiled, ending the call. She really did appreciate his concern over her. But after everything that has happened to her, she knew that he would freak out over something that might not even be a big deal (that's what she tried to convince herself, at least).

Perse approached her friends with a wide smile. "Okay, all set!"

–

Did all rich people own black SUVs? Stark, Osborn (…those are the only rich people that Perse knows). Maybe they went to the same dealerships. Harry's driver was no Happy, though. He remained silent and eyes on the road, didn't drive like a maniac.

Harry sat up in the passenger seat, while Perse, Ned, and Peter sat in the back seat. She in between the two boys. Ned rambled on about the movie, before moving on to something Star Wars related.

"We _gotta_ see Rogue One when it comes out! Maybe Jyn Erso is Rey's mom!" Ned said, making Peter snort.

"Doubt it." He said, taking his glasses off for a moment to clean them.

When they got to the arcade, Harry had paid for their passes as well. Perse secretly hated that Harry was paying for everything tonight, despite his continued claims of wanting to. She could tell that Peter felt uncomfortable by it as well, and voiced their displeasure to each other, muttered under their breaths.

But they had their fun. Perse even let go of her anxieties for a moment, truly enjoying herself. Her and Ned battled each other in basketball, skeeball, and Mariokart. All four of them played in a four person air hockey (Harry won the first time, while Perse won the second). Perse won a plushie dog from the claw machine, to which she gifted to Harry as a way to pay him back for the night. Peter beat Harry at Dance Dance Revolution. Ned and Perse played against each other, and they both were terrible. Perse blamed it on the foot sensors.

At some point, Ned and Harry separated to play some VR game while Peter and Perse walked around the large arcade.

"Hey…are you okay?" Peter asked tentatively, pushing up his glasses.

Perse looked over at him, shocked at his question. She looked away, clearing her throat. They stopped walking, now at the other side of the arcade.

"Yeah." She said breezily. Peter gave her a look that said he didn't believe her. "Really. I'm fine." She said, dropping the tone and coming off more convincingly.

"My Aunt May always knows when something's up with me." Peter said, still trying to coax Perse out of her shell. "She takes one look at me, and knows something's wrong. It's like her superpower." Perse snorted at that, quickly blushing at the fact that she snorted in laughter. But she just found it funny because of the fact that he said superpowers.

"Are you trying to say it's yours too?" She said, smiling now. He blushed, casting his eyes downwards before meeting her eyes again.

"No, I'm actually pretty terrible at it." He chuckled. "But I just get a feeling about you."

Perse's breath hitched and her eyes softened. "I'll be okay." She decided to say instead. It told Peter that his suspicions were right, but that he didn't have to worry about her. She couldn't tell him why she felt off and she found herself not being able to make up a lie, so she just left it at that. And that seemed to be enough for Peter.

"Okay." He said simply, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Hey, let's take pictures in the booth!" Ned came up from behind them, putting his arms around the two.

"Yeah!" Harry agreed.

The two boys dragged Perse and Peter inside the booth despite their protests. It was slightly cramped, so Harry crouched down, practically sitting on Ned while Peter sat on Perse's lap. The latter of the group both blushed heavily, avoiding eye contact with each other as Ned put in the change to start the machine. The first flash went through, all of them smiling. Perse and Peter seemed especially awkward, smiles pulled taut. The second flash, and Peter blinked. The third flash, Harry told everyone to make silly faces and they did. Ned made a comment about how beautiful they all looked in their ugly poses, fit enough to be Miss. America. Right at the fourth flash, everyone laughed at Ned's comment.

Peter quickly clambered out and Perse followed suit. They were still smiling from what Ned said. They made eye contact. His deep brown eyes. Something clicked, for a moment. She felt like she was standing in the woods. And Perse didn't have enough time to dwell on it, or to truly acknowledge what she felt, because Ned and Harry came out from the photo booth.

"Peter, you blinked!" Ned exclaimed, showing Peter the photo.

Perse laughed at him, hovering over shoulder to look at the photo as well. She also saw the last photo. All of them caught in a moment of pure joy.

"I want the last one." Perse said.

"I'm definitely taking the one that Peter blinked in." Ned said, giggling.

Harry went to the front desk with the photo strip and used their scissors to cut the strips. The laughing photo went to Perse, the silly faces went to Harry, the blinking Peter went to Ned, and the smiling photo went to Peter. Perse _really_ liked the picture of all of them laughing.

The group made their way outside, Harry being the first to go in his fancy car. Before he left, he gave Perse a tight hug. She welcomed the embrace, hugging him back tightly.

"Thank you, Harry." She whispered in his ear, truly grateful for the night that he had provided. She knew that Harry was probably accustomed to being the one that always paid–or assumed to be the one that should always pay–and she hoped to change that habit the more they hung out.

"No, thank you." He grinned as they pulled away and he left.

His grin left her blushing and his words left her wondering what exactly he meant by that. She hated how she'd blush at every little thing. She wasn't used to that kind of attention from the opposite sex (or anyone for that matter), and she couldn't help the blush that crept up her cheeks.

Perse turned to hug Ned and Peter goodbye as well, the latter looking at her with concern.

Perse was going to walk a few blocks and then find an empty alleyway to shift and fly off. She said she had a train to catch, and started to make her way in the opposite direction that Peter and Ned had to go. But Peter seemed hesitant in letting her go alone. They were far from Queens, and he also had no idea where Perse now lived.

"We could ride the subway with you." Peter offered.

"I'm going the opposite way." Perse said, shrugging.

"That's okay, we don't mind!"

"We don't?" Ned interjected.

"Peter, really, I'll be fine." Perse said, making him sigh. He gave in.

"Okay. Just. Let me know that you got home okay, alright?"

"Promise."

They parted ways, Peter looking over his shoulder to check on Perse until she finally rounded a corner and was gone from sight. He couldn't help sending her a text, making sure she was okay.

_Perse: PARKER I'm okay! _

_Peter: Okay…_

_Peter: Still good?_

At this point, it was mostly done out of humor. A way to annoy the girl. But also partly to just keep making sure. Perse was certainly annoyed and knew that she could stop responding, but that would genuinely concern him and she didn't want him to stress like that. So it was nice, sweet, caring that he was checking on her like this, no matter how annoying. And she didn't mind the digital company. Perse also sent a message out to Clint to let him know that she just left the arcade and would be flying to the Tower as soon as she got her things.

Not long after Perse sent that message, she heard the familiar sound of boosters from a certain suit approach her as she rounded a more secluded street.

"Really?!" Perse exclaimed, all in a huff.

Iron Man landed in front of Perse. The faceplate came up to reveal Tony, who didn't look pleased either. "He wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I can take care of myself." She grumbled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. And cue the teenage eye roll.

"Of course you can." He scoffed, the faceplate coming back down. "Come on, kid." Tony flew up and Perse followed after him, shifting into her otherworldly form.

Perse wasn't anywhere nearly as fast as the Iron Man suit could go, so Tony intentionally held back at a cruising pace to not get ahead of Perse. Perse flew over the building where her bag was and quickly snatched it up, barely touching down on the roof. She boosted herself up more and flew at a high altitude as they neared the Tower.

Once they landed, Tony started talking up a storm.

"So, Clint told me about this attacker of yours. Where did this happen? What time? What did he look like? Did he say anything?"

"Jesus, you guys are _really_ overreacting." Perse said, although her voice and body betrayed her words.

Tony heard the uneasiness in her tone (the same that Clint had heard over the phone to make him think it was something worth looking into) and she wrung her fingers before shaking them, as if trying to physically shake away the worry. They made it inside to the loft area, which was across from Tony's room and above the rec area.

"Kid." Tony said, crossing his arms.

Perse sat down on the couch, putting her head in her hands. She didn't want them involved, didn't want this to be their problem. But she also didn't want them to bench her. She _finally_ started patrolling again, and Perse felt herself getting _better_. Like she had a purpose, a good reason to get out of bed. That Jimena and Al hadn't died in vain. She was afraid that this attack would scare them into not letting her out anymore. But she couldn't lie to them.

"Okay…it was a little after 5. I–saved–this kid, and. It was like he waited."

"What do you mean?" Tony sat down next to her, typing away at his phone.

"For the right time. I was alone, there were no people passing by. I don't know if he was following me, I never sensed him until he got scared right before he planned on attacking me."

"Did you get a good look at his face?" Tony started to connect his phone to the TV that was also upstairs, and Perse could see a search being ran.

"No," She shook her head, now the TV showing Twitter posts about Nyx, "But I know he's a burn victim. I could see the scars from the corners of his mask. It was black, and there was white paint smeared on it. And he wore all black, a hoodie, jeans. But I saw his fears."

Phone videos started playing when Nyx first apprehended the teenager for pickpocketing before the cameras all stopped working and posts were made of how Nyx is now a bad guy. A few defended her, saying it had to have been for good reason, but most seemed to turn the tide against her. Tony gave her a look that said, "Great," and Perse nervously chuckled.

"Sorry." She said, knowing that the optics weren't great. "But not sorry, either. He was a good kid. Just making bad choices."

"Just save a kitten from a tree and it'll blow over soon." Tony sighed. "FRIDAY, search all footage including CCTV that matches that description."

"Sure thing, boss." The AI promptly said, and the TV showed a terminal as commands were put in and searches ran.

"What were they? His fears." Tony asked, getting up from the couch now and heading towards the stairs. Perse followed after.

Her phone buzzed. Another text from Peter. She forgot to let him know she was okay.

_Parker: You're killing me, you know that?_

She pocketed the phone, answering Tony. "Fire. But there was a specific moment. I usually don't get to trauma's at such a surface reading of someone. But with him, I saw the fires from a memory. It seemed like he was in an accident. Maybe an office fire? I didn't get a chance to dig deeper. But there was a lot more to it, I could sense it."

"You think there's a reason why you could see that much from him?" He asked. They made it down to the kitchen and he opened the fridge to get a handful of blueberries. "Want one?"

She took a couple, popping them into her mouth. "Maybe. It was either recent, or he's not mentally stable. Or both. He's definitely angry. There was another thing, though. He was able to resist me. I tried to make him see the fires, but he barely flinched."

"He's trained." Tony pointed out, affirming Perse's thoughts. "And you really tried to downplay this? This sounds like a hit, kid."

"I wasn't sure!" She defended, fearing what Tony was going to say next.

"I think we gotta ground you until we know more."

"Tony, come on! I can take care of myself out there." Perse complained, getting upset but trying her best not to let it get the best of her.

"I don't doubt it. But you're a rookie. You still have a lot to learn and I don't want to risk him coming after you again. Or worse, he knows your true identity. What if he comes for you at school? Outs you to the world? We don't know his motives."

"Next time, I'll know he's coming." She argued, the heat now rising within her. "I can't stop just because of this one guy! People need my help!"

"Jesus Christ, I said no!" Tony exploded, making Perse involuntarily flinch. He immediately registered her reaction, and tried to soften. "Perse, I'm sorry–"

"You're not my dad." She said, her eyes turning red as the tears formed. "Neither is Clint. My dad is _dead_ and _framed_ for murdering my mom. Don't forget that."

Tony didn't try to stop her as she stalked out of the room, flying up and out of the Tower. She merely flew up to the roof. Even upset, she knew that she shouldn't fly out right now and make things even worse. She just needed space.

_Bzz._

_Peter: Perse?_

_Perse: I made it home safe. Sorry. My phone died._

She set the phone down, ignoring whatever response Parker sent her after. The tears flowed freely now, mourning the loss of her parents. Crying over her past, the knowledge that she was Hydra's little pet. Hydra ripping away whatever childhood she could have had. Al and Jimena tried giving her one. They provided for her, loved her. Like she was their own. She _was_ their own. And again, Hydra ripped that away from her. She shouldn't have exploded at Tony like she did. He was only trying to take care of her. They all were. Even though it's not their responsibility. They made it their responsibility anyways. Perse also knew that she couldn't continue to cling on to the past like this, not in this way. She couldn't keep letting herself play the what-if scenarios in her head.

Eventually, Tony came up to join Perse. She heard the door open behind her, in mulled surprise that he hadn't flown up in Tony Stark/Iron Man fashion. Her eyes were dry now, although still puffy and now she had a headache. But her mind never felt more clearer.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Me too."

"No, you have nothing to be sorry for. I had my fair share of lashing out when I lost my parents. And I didn't have the added baggage of being a Hydra prisoner, so." Tony sat down next to Perse, legs dangling over the edge. The air was cool, and he had revealed a small fluffy blanket to wrap around the girl's shoulders. She quietly accepted. "I don't want you to _ever_ feel like we are trying to replace your parents. I'm not in the business of being a dad anyways, not a good department for me." He grinned at her, bittersweet.

Perse leaned her head against his shoulder, much to Tony's surprise. "Thank you. I want you to know that even when I say stupid stuff and get mad, I don't forget how grateful I am. I won't go out." She leaned back away to make eye contact with Tony. "I can't protect others if I'm dead, so. I'll lay low."

Tony looked down at the young girl, feeling heavy. She shouldn't have to worry about these kinds of things. She should be focusing on school and crushes and ice cream. Not hit men and saving the day. But she wanted to use these powers for good, and was doing good, so he couldn't sit there and hypocritically say that she shouldn't be Nyx. So, he decided to make her a suit and give her a name. Since he knew that she would continue to fight bad guys with or without anyone's help, he decided to at least be on her side.

"Okay, come on. Sentimental moment over. It's cold and windy." Tony lightly clapped her back and helped her up. They walked back inside, Perse trailing behind as she finally checked her phone.

_Peter: Aunt May is insisting that you come over for dinner tomorrow. _

_Peter: She keeps making jokes that you're my imaginary friend._

_Peter: Ned will be there too. _

_Peter: I would suggest having some food beforehand because Aunt May's cooking is…shit._

She smiled to herself, quickly sending out a response.

_Perse: You really know how to persuade me, Parker. _

_Perse: But I can't tomorrow I got too much work to do :( Tell her I'm sorry and that I would love to have dinner some other day!_

_Peter: She said next week? Uncle Ben's saying he'll make his world famous chocolate delight. It's actually really good. _

_Perse: Oh, I can't pass up on chocolate delight, next week works for me._

"Who you texting?" Tony inquired once they were in the elevator, trying to peer over her shoulder.

"Noneya." She stuck her tongue out, pocketing her phone before he could snoop further.

Tony rolled his eyes, leaning back against the wall. "_Noneya_." He mocked under his breath. "Kids."

"When's Clint coming back again? I don't know how much longer I can handle being around you." Perse drawled, knowing that would get at Stark's ego just a little bit.

"Ha! Cute." He barked, sounding sarcastic. "Tomorrow morning."

The elevator opened at Perse's room, where she stepped out.

"Goodnight, kid. Don't let the bedbugs bite." Tony said, as the doors closed. She stared at the elevator, smiling. Yeah, Clint and Tony weren't her dads, but they were starting to mean something to her. More so with every passing day.

As Perse retired to her room, texting away and not sleeping like she probably should have been, Tony settled into his lab for the night.

The searches had come up blank. This concerned him greatly, because it further proved that this was a professional hit. Extremely so. There was missing CCTV footage, and nothing came up on bystander's phones during the Nyx altercation. He knew how to cover his tracks. The question to be asked was who was this man, and who did he work for?

**AN: Tony has a habit of taking in kids without acknowledging this fact. In Homecoming, we see him make this active effort to try to do right with Peter and step up as a mentor/father figure. I want to explore more on how Perse teaches him to be softer and kinder, and what makes him realize that he can make an impact on the younger generation of superheroes. While everyone takes on a mentorship with Perse, the big focus will center around Clint, and close seconds will be Tony and Natasha. **

**This chapter was severely lacking in Michelle, I will definitely correct that by next chapter. MJ will honestly not be in many group outings because of how standoffish she is, and she's very closed off. And I'm so excited to see her character arc in Far From Home, just to learn more about her and incorporate into this story as well. **

**Incorrecto Quotem:**

**Peter: I thought the word "happiness" starts with h. Why does mine start with u?**

**Perse: I think you have dyslexia.**

**(From chrlsxaviers on insta)**


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